Forever Dawn
by twothunders
Summary: Caught in the middle of a war between immortals and vampires, Bella must decide how much her humanity is worth. This is my first attempt at writing...PLEASE leave constructive feedback!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Voices

Bella looked towards the sky and saw the menacing clouds rushing from the west. She knew that she had to hurry before the storm hit. The weather could get really bad, very quickly, and she still had several blocks to go before she reached home. Home. The one place she should feel eager to get to. But home hadn't brought her any comfort since her father's death two years ago.

Bella adjusted the straps of her bag to center the weight and forced herself to walk faster. Her overstuffed backpack was heavier than usual. Finals were coming up, and she had spent an extra hour after school trying to absorb some knowledge that might help her in the coming weeks. She had one month left of school and then she was done. Bella began to think of graduation and what her plans were. Or rather, her lack of plans. All of her classmates had spent the last few months comparing planned majors and bragging about the various colleges that they had been accepted into. Bella had not been accepted into any colleges. Mainly, because she hadn't applied.

Bella had been a good student at one time. That was before the accident changed everything. She had been in advanced placement classes and had dreams of being a pediatrician. A lot had changed in the last two years. Now she only just got by. Her teachers ignored her. Most of the students followed the teachers' lead and let her exist, not paying her any attention; she was just a warm body filling a desk.

Bella sighed as the first of the rain drops struck her cheek, and she raised her eyes towards the sky. The storm was moving faster then she had originally thought. Bella should have been used to this. It rained constantly in Forks. It wasn't anything to be concerned about.

"Damn," she muttered. She pulled the hood of the black fleece over her head and almost ran the last two blocks to her home. She paid little attention to the homes she passed. Forks was not a large town but the homes in this area were crowded together, only separated by tall rows to red pines.

She slowed as she reached the porch and looked at the peeling white paint on the small two story home. It may have cute once, but the years of neglect were taking over. The house was a modest, three bedroom, square symbol of what her family's life had turned in to. Three steps led up to the porch that extended the entire width of the house. In the corner was a swing. The chain on one of the corners had broken away. Not that the swing was used anymore. It was just like everything in Bella's life. Broken.

Bella glanced longingly at the old red fifty seven Chevy pickup truck permanently parked along the driveway. The truck had breathed its last breath a few months ago and she still missed the loud roar of the engine. Not able to afford a new vehicle, Bella had resorted to walking back and forth to school each day.

Grabbing the house key out of the pocket of her pants, Bella let herself into the quiet house. She knew that nobody would be home. Jessica, Bella's younger sister would be at cheerleading practice, and it would be a surprise to see her before nine o'clock p.m. that night. Bella also knew that by the time her sister did get home, she would use the need to finish her homework to hide her bloodshot eyes and the ever hanging stench of stale beer and marijuana smoke from their mother. Bella really didn't like the choices that Jessica made, but she knew that there was nothing that she could do to change them.

Bella dropped her backpack at the door and walked into the kitchen. She wasn't really hungry, but she couldn't ignore the overpowering need to stare into the empty refrigerator. There was never any food in the fridge. Her mom refused to cook anymore. She said that she was at work all day, had a life, and that they were old enough to fend for themselves after school. It hadn't take Bella long to figure out that when her mom said that she wasn't going to cook, it also meant that she would stop shopping too.

Her mom had quit almost everything. In addition to not cooking, she had stopped cleaning, shopping, and talking to her daughters for more than five minutes at a time. She was always either at work, out with friends, or perched on the couch in front of the TV. This suited Jessica just fine, but Bella missed her mom and wished she would be the mother she was before the accident. Closing the refrigerator with a sigh, she reached into the yellow cupboard above the sink and found the box of granola bars she had hidden last week behind several boxes of cereal. Grabbing one, she retrieved her backpack and headed to her bedroom.

Bella walked up the stairs and in to her bedroom in less than a minute. Even though she was alone in the house, Bella closed her door. This room was the only place in the house that didn't have layers of dust accumulated on every surface, and this brought her a measure of comfort. By nature, Bella was a neat person. Clutter made her uncomfortable and nervous and she made a point to keep her room spotless.

Bella set her backpack on her bed and went to her mirrored dresser to find a hair tie to pull her long brown hair into a pony tail. As she did this, she found herself staring at her reflection. At one time, she had been pretty, in a plain way. In a sense, she still was. She had wide brown eyes and long lashes that never needed mascara and she had been blessed with flawless skin. Her eyes were sad though and, in a way, appeared aged for an eighteen year old that made them appear dull and lifeless.

Her skin was too pale as. Not that pale skin was an oddity in Forks, but it had a washed out look. Here skin looked like it should have had a bit of color and just a little bit would have done her an immense amount of good.

She forced her gaze away from the reflection. She couldn't stand to look at herself for very long anymore. Whenever she did, all she saw was the small, two inch scar on her right temple. A souvenir of the accident. The mark to remind her that her dad had died because of her.

Bella kicked off her shoes before she sat down on her bed. Curling her legs under her, and grabbed her senior biology book from her backpack. She opened the book to chapter twenty and tried to throw herself into studying.

"_Isabella._" It was a whispery, male voice.

She jerked her head up. She was just as startled by someone using her full name as she was to hear the voice in general. The sudden movement made the book tumble noisily to the floor. Someone had called her. Bella got up and went to her door, opening it just a crack. There were no sounds coming from the house, no signs of life. The rain had picked up, and she could hear the drops pelting the roof of the house, but no sounds inside.

She stood there for a moment longer before closing the door again and returning to her studies. No body would have been outside in this weather.

"I'm imagining things," she mumbled to herself.

Bella couldn't focus on biology anymore. She didn't feel like studying at all. She had no college plans, so she didn't think it really mattered how well she did on her finals. She only needed to pass to graduate, and the teachers would pass her just to get her off of their hands so they wouldn't have to pity her any longer. The time spent in the library after school had been more an excuse not to come home than a real concern for her academic future.

She laid back down on the bed and concentrated on the sound of the rain. The storm had picked up now, and she heard the mysterious and eerie sound of the wind blowing against the house. The din of the storm had a strange, comforting effect, and she found herself relaxing. Bella had never liked the rain or storms, but she felt comforted by the sounds of this one; she wasn't sure why. She closed her eyes and just listened.

"_What do you want to do today?" His eyes twinkled as he looked at his oldest daughter. It was just the two of them. Mom had taken Jessica shopping in Olympia for school clothes. Jessica and mom loved clothes shopping and somehow managed to make, what Bella thought was a waste of time, into an event that would span the entire weekend._

"_I dunno. Whatever. I'll probably just hang out and watch TV, and I also have a paper due on Monday that I should really start on it," Bella replied. She knew that look that was in his eye; he was planning something. Bella knew he would let her in on his plans, whatever they were, when he was ready. She just had to play his game and string it along. _

"_Come on," he said finally. He didn't have the patience to contain his excitement and wait. "I've got something to show you." _

_Bella followed her dad through the kitchen to the side entrance. He was the only one who chose to use this door; he said it always felt better to come home and be in the kitchen immediately. Bella loved her dad's oddities._

_As they left the house, he locked the door and pointed to the car. Doing as she was told, she got in the passenger side and buckled her seat belt as her dad slid into the driver's side._

"_So…what's up?" she asked, only half expecting an answer; he wouldn't want to ruin the surprise._

_Her dad just smiled, started the car, and pulled out of the driveway._

_It was a beautiful day. There were so few sunny days in the Olympic Peninsula and it seemed a shame to miss it. The leaves were just beginning to lose some of their vibrant green color as they did every year before they turned the various shades or red, gold and brown. The color that lined the small town roads reminded Bella of sour apple lollipops . Everything was green in Forks. Green, squishy, and normally wet._

_Her dad had the radio tuned to the oldies channel and hummed along to most of the songs. He liked to drive to music instead of conversation. He really wasn't one for a lot of useless chatter. Neither was Bella. They were both comfortable in the silence._

_They had driven for about fifteen minutes when Bella realized that she didn't know where they were going. Her dad had taken several back roads, and Bella had lost track of where they were almost as soon as they were out of town. The only thing to see out the car window were that lush acres of hardwoods that were broken up by a solitary home every few miles._

"_Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Bella's voice held a trace of a giggle; her dad had often taken her on long drives. 'Just to get out,' he would often say. But there was always a purpose for her dad's outings. Usually a beautiful view, and unusually shaped tree, a whirlpool. It was fruitless to try and guess what his plans were. Bella didn't try._

_Her dad looked at her, smiled and replied, "Just be patient. I told you that I have something to show you."_

"_Easier said than done, Dad." She did not pride herself on patience. It was not a trait that she had inherited form him._

_They drove for about another ten minutes when he took a right turn into a large clearing that looked as if at one time there was a farm crop there, but it had been overtaken by the various grasses and pretty wildflowers, in a multitude of colors, of the area. It was a peaceful place, and Bella thought that it would make a nice picnic location and made a note to herself to suggest it. He put the car in park and got out without shutting off the engine._

"_Come on, Bella," he said, walking around to the bonnet of the car. "Come over here."_

_Bella quickly undid her seatbelt and scrambled over to her father on the other side. He was standing with the car door open, waiting for her._

"_Come on, get in. You're learning to drive."_

"_Really?" Bella tried to suppress her excitement. The idea of a driving a police cruiser seemed kind of cool._

"_Well, you're going to be sixteen in a couple of weeks, and, honestly, I am not convinced that someone can really learn to drive in those school simulators," he said as he gently nudged Bella into the drivers side._

_Bella sat down and had to adjust the seat. Her dad was a tall man, standing nearly six foot four. She had taken after her mom, small and petite. She was only five foot two. She wasn't midget-short, but her small frame gave the appearance of vulnerability and people often mistook her for being a lot younger than she was._

_The seat adjusted easily, and her dad slid in the passenger side as she finished correcting all of the mirrors so she could see. He had a huge grin on his face, and Bella wondered if he thought she was funny. She had been in driver's education at school over the summer, but had yet to take any road tests. Bella had wanted to do the responsible thing and complete the entire course before tempting fate behind the wheel._

_She had to admit to herself, as she sat in the cruiser's driver's seat, that she was eager to drive. Her dad had gotten her an old, red Chevy truck from a family friend that was supposed to be her sixteenth birthday present, but it was only lawn decoration until she officially obtained a driver's license._

"_Where to?" Bella asked nervously. This was the first time she had ever been behind the wheel of a car with the intentions of driving it. She adjusted the mirrors several times and sat up straighter in her seat as if this would improve her driving abilities and suddenly make her more responsible._

"_You can go anywhere back here. There shouldn't be much for traffic," her dad replied._

_Bella put the car in drive and slowly pushed in the accelerator. Dad had turned off the radio to give her a clearer atmosphere to concentrate in, so the only noise was the purr of the engine and her rapid heartbeat pounding in her ears. She knew that she shouldn't be nervous because she had been taking the driver's education course at school; she knew what to do, but her body betrayed her._

_The car pulled away smoothly as Bella directed it forward. She drove around the clearing several times, briefly regretting the paths she made through the flowers, to get the feeling of it, carefully threading the wheel through her hands when she needed to turn. After a few circuits, her dad told her to turn around and head towards the main road, and Bella obeyed. She enjoyed the feel of the leather wrapped steering wheel in her hands, and the car seemed to know exactly what she wanted it to do._

_She reached the road, and for a moment, thought that her dad was going to take over. He didn't._

"_Turn left," he said, perfectly calm. Calmer than she was. She was sweating bullets, afraid that she would make a mistake and hit another car, put theirs in a ditch or, at minimum, embarrass herself by doing something stupid like turning on the wipers instead of the turn signal._

_Without replying, Bella eased the car onto the road and kept steady pressure on the accelerator. She had the window rolled down, and as the speed increase, the wind whipped her hair around her face. She knew she was going to have to spend hours getting the tangles out, but she didn't care. She was driving and, most importantly, having fun._

_She must have had a huge smile on her face because when she glanced at her dad, he just laughed at her and told her to keep her eyes on the road._

_He was certainly right about the traffic. She drove along the road without seeing any other vehicles; it was completely deserted. She must have been driving for about a hour and a half before her dad told her to pull over. _

"_How about some ice cream?" he asked._

"_Can I drive there?" Bella asked hopefully. She knew the answer, but figured she would try anyway._

"_Ahhh. No. I think you've done enough driving for today." Bella was a little disappointed and jutted out her bottom lip to show it. She wasn't a whiner to by nature, but often played the heartbroken child. He just looked at her and laughed as he slid out of the passenger side, unrelenting. Bella undid her seatbelt and jumped out of the car before he made it around to take her place._

"_Jesus, kid, are you ever going to grow?" he complained with a laugh as he squeezed himself into the driver's seat and had to adjust the seat back just to pull his legs into the vehicle._

_Bella just shrugged and got into the car._

The slamming of a door brought Bella back from the dream. She rubbed her eyes and realized that she must have had dozed off. Getting up, she threw her backpack and open biology book onto a chair in the corner of the room and glanced at the clock next to her bed. It was seven thirty; too early for Jessica to be home, so it had to be mom. Bella exited her room and went to the stairs.

"Mom, is that you?" she called as she walked down to the main floor of the house.

"Uh huh," was the only reply she got.

Bella went into the living room to find her mom draped across the sofa, still wearing the dirty smock from the local grocery store. Bella made a mental note to throw it into the wash with her next load of laundry.

"Where's Jessica?" her mom asked without even looking up.

"Still at practice, I think." Bella didn't have the heart to tell mom what Jessica was really like. It was easier just letting her think that her youngest child was a well-rounded young lady with a bright future.

"Oh." Her mom grabbed the remote for the TV and turned it on. She began flipping through the channels and settled on some movie that Bella didn't recognize. It was in black and white and Bella thought briefly that man looked a lot like Cary Grant. She turned up the volume a couple of notches, and Bella knew that this was her dismissal; her mom didn't want her around or to talk to her.

Bella sighed and walked back up to her bedroom, wondering why she even bothered anymore.

Shutting the door, she looked around her room. It was relatively plain. A single bed in the middle was the main focus. It was covered with a purple and grey comforter that her grandma had given her for her thirteenth birthday. She had never bothered hanging up any pictures and the walls were a naked pale blue. In the far corner were a pile of scruffy paperback books. She looked past them, not wanting to bother with them, and towards the window. She walked over to stare outside; there wasn't much to see. The storm had leveled out to a steady drizzle, and the last of the daylight was fading quickly.

Her window faced the backyard and there was a row of trees that sheltered their yard from any of the neighbors. Not that there was anything to look at. Most of the neighbors were elderly couples that sat on their porch during nice weather and still insisted that she was such a 'cute, little girl'. They hadn't realized that she had grown up.

A flash of movement caught her eye. She looked again toward the line of trees expecting to see a stray dog or cat seeking shelter from the rain. However, she knew that there were other, wilder and more sinister, animals that dared to come this close to town and hoped that was not what was there. Bella focused her eyes to the area, but she couldn't make out any animal shape. Actually, she couldn't make out anything. There were nothing but shadows. Bella wondered if maybe her eyes were just playing tricks on her, but just as she turned to go, she saw it again.

Yes, there was certainly something there; she had definitely seen it move this time. Bella squinted her eyes, as if that could improve her focus. There was something there, but she couldn't see enough to make out any details because of the fading light. It wasn't that she could _see_ anything as much as she _felt_ that something was in the back yard. Some unknown tingling sense was telling her that something was there.

Bella forced herself to look away for a moment, shaking her head; was she going crazy? The voice that she had thought she had heard call her name popped ominously back into her mind.

"That was only my imagination," Bella said out loud trying to convince herself that it was true. She peeked out the window again at the same place that she had seen the flash of movement. There was nothing but darkness there. She stared out into the empty yard, rested her forehead against the glass, and daydreamed.

"This is silly," she mumbled to herself, disgruntled. _It must be the rain. _

Bella backed away, closed the curtains, and glanced at the clock. It was nine thirty. She had been standing at the window for almost two hours. Bella rubbed her forehead, felt the cold circular mark that the window pane had left, and tried to remember what she had been thinking of for so long and how she could have stood there without feeling the time. Annoyed that she had wasted so much time on silly daydreams, she went and sat on her bed.

A soft knock on her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts of her pending insanity.

"Yeah?" Bella said to whomever was on the other side.

Jessica opened the door, quickly walked in, and plopped down on the bed next to her sister. Bella caught a whiff of the cigarettes that she usually smoked, but for once she appeared to be alcohol and pot free. Bella was surprised that Jessica had skipped her nightly rituals of indulgence and thought that maybe she had seen the light and decided to play it straight for awhile.

"Guess what? Mike Newton asked me out! Can you believe it? I mean, what am I going to wear?" Jessica babbled. She had had a crush on Mike Newton for the last year. He was the star of almost every sport offered at Forks High School and the object of desire for the majority of the female population in attendance. He was a senior, and Bella had seen him around, but was never impressed. He was good looking. He had spiked blond hair, blue eyes and was the classic 'All American Boy', but he was arrogant and had no problems making his very active personal life a source of constant gossip.

"Whatever, Jessica." Bella replied, stretching and still trying to work out where the time had gone. "I don't know why you like him anyway. He's an ass."

Not that Jessica had ever concerned herself with Bella's opinion of her taste, but she felt like she had an obligation, as an older sister, to attempt to guide her to make better decisions.

"He is not," Jessica snapped defensively, making a face that resembled a toddler eating sour lemons for the first time, "He's just misunderstood, that's all…"

She kept prattling on about the injustice of the high school gossip regarding Mike. Bella quit listening. Instead, she wondered how many people Jessica had to sleep with to get a reputation that would attract the notice of Mike Newton. Bella realized that this train of thought was wrong and malicious. Jessica was a cute girl. She wasn't tall, but she had a slender, athletic figure and long, curly dark hair and was popular. She had soft features and had learned very young how to accent them with perfectly applied make-up. Jessica had her pick of boys and being a cheerleader helped.

"Bella? Are you even listening to me?" Her younger sister's voice punctured her thoughts. "What should I wear?" Jessica's whining startled Bella, who was clearly not paying attention.

"Uh…what?" Bella asked quietly. She tried to focus back on what Jessica had said.

"My date. With Mike. Clothes. What should I have on?" Jessica was annoyed that Bella had not been paying attention. In Jessica's world, everything she did and said was newsworthy, and she did not handle being ignored, for any reason. For her, figuring out what shirt would best emphasize her assets or what girls was crushing on her latest boyfriend were the only major concerns in her life.

"How would I know?" she sighed in exasperation. Bella was not really interested, but she tried to make an effort. Her pathetic effort was unsuccessful.

"You know what? Forget it. I don't want your help!" Jessica snapped, dramatically standing up, and she wished out the door. Bella just rolled her eyes; that was Jessica, the drama queen. She wondered sometimes if they even came from the same gene pool.

With a long sigh, Bella kicked off her jeans and crawled into bed. She wasn't really sleepy but she thought that if she laid there long enough, she'd succumb. She concentrated on the gentle rhythmic sound of rain on the roof. She heard the TV downstairs. Her mom would fall asleep in front of the thing, as she did every night she wasn't out with her friends. Mom had slept in the living room ever since the accident.

_The accident_.

Bella wondered when her thoughts would stop leading there. It had been two years and she knew that it was well past time to move on, but she couldn't stop blaming herself; and thinking that she should have done things differently.

Jessica was in her bedroom. Bella could hear her cackling away to one of her girl friends on the phone. She was probably going on and on about her upcoming date. Bella wished Jessica's friends had a no-phone calls after nine p.m. rule so the rest of the normal world could sleep.

Flopping over to her stomach, Bella tried to focus on the sound of the rain. It had slowed down to a steady drizzle.

"_Isabella."_ Bella jumped up. She was sure she didn't imagine the male voice this time. It had come from the window. She walked over to it and looked out into the dark determined to discover who was calling her.

Nothing caught her eye at first. Then she saw it. Right in the shadow she was watching before, she saw something; it wasn't much, but she definitely saw it. Now that the rain had let up a little, she could almost make out his form. There was a man standing in the shadows cast by the large trees. Even in the dim light, she could see he was facing her.

She held in her breath in suspense and anticipation, and contemplated running downstairs, shaking her mom awake, and calling the police. For some reason, though, she did not feel any fear. She only felt a strange urge to go to this man. The feeling was like thousands of invisible strings pulling her from the center of her body.

He took a step forward. This one step brought him into to view, into the soft glow of light cast by the living room lights and television. He was clearly looking up at her, and her heart skipped several beats as he raised his arm, motioned, beckoning her to come down to him.

Bella debated with herself. She knew better than to go out and meet a man she did not know, even if it was in her backyard. He could be anything, a rapist, a kidnapper, or even worse. She knew that she should scream for help, run downstairs and arm herself with a baseball bat, and make the calls that would have squad cars and sirens surrounding the house within minutes to chase him off or haul him away.

But she couldn't. She wanted to go down to him and see who this strange man was and what he wanted. She wanted to be near him. She wanted to touch him.

Without looking away, she quickly pulled on her crumpled jeans, slipped on her shoes, and grabbed her black fleece. She moved before she had a chance to clear her mind and make a rational decision. Bella slowly opened her door and peeked into the hallway. It was quiet. Jessica was in her room with the door shut, still blabbing away. She stepped out her room slowly and closed the door behind her. If Jessica came out to go to the bathroom or to go downstairs, she wouldn't think it was unusual for her door to be shut.

Bella walked silently to the stairs. She knew how to get down the steps quietly, but she was worried that her mom would still be awake and would question what she was doing. She paused a few steps from the bottom, and tried to crane her neck to see, but the wall was in the way, and the sofa was blocked from view. She decided to risk it. She thought quickly, trying to come up with a believable story about why she was heading outside at this time of night and in the rain. She came up with nothing, she just hoped she was asleep.

Bella held her breath as she tiptoed down the remainder of the stairs. With a breath of relief, she saw that she had not needed to fear her mom's questions. She was fast asleep on the living room couch and Bella knew that she would be out for hours.

She walked quickly to the front door, opened it, and stepped outside. She took a deep breath of cool night air in relief and silently closed the door behind her.

The rain was little more than a soft mist now. She carefully walked down the porch steps, and around the side of the house, to the gate that led to the backyard. She hesitated for a moment with her hand on the gate latch. For a moment, she seemed to realize that leaving the house was not one of her best ideas, but curiosity got the best of her as she lifted the latch.

"Here goes," Bella mumbled to herself as she pushed the gate open, and walked into the open back yard keeping her head down to avoid getting wet from the rain. She walked to the corner where she had seen the man standing and looked up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Kidnapped **

**The first thing Bella noticed was his eyes, they were extraordinarily captivating, and she couldn't bring herself to look away. She couldn't quite place the color in the dim light, but she could she that they shimmered with a burning fire fed from his soul. She sucked in a breath and, forcing her gaze away form his eyes, she noticed other features. He had shoulder length dark hair. It fell in layers and softly flipped up right at his jaw. He was beautiful. More beautiful than any man should be allowed to be, and he was all male. **

**He looked to be in his mid twenties and was tall, nearly six foot five, and well built. He was not overly muscled as many gym freaks tended to be, but she could see, as her eyes strayed further down his body, definition in his arms and chest through the light shirt he was wearing. With each breath he took, Bella could see the defined outline of his chest straining against the thin material, and fought the urge to lift her hand to stroke it. Instead, she just bit her bottom lip.**

**She was standing a few feet away from him and she still felt the urge to move closer him. His very presence made her body tingle and a blush flood through her. She felt heat in places never before explored and, then, instantly felt shame for her body's lustful reaction. This was no boy, a man that she didn't know, and she was crushing on him. He stood there with an air of confidence that made Bella wonder if he knew what she was thinking. His eyes bored through knowingly her, and she realized that she was holding her breath.**

**She forced herself to take a deep breath and could smell his scent. He smelled of sunshine, soap and a musky fragrance she didn't recognize which must have been his own personal aroma.**

**Suddenly, her common sense kicked in, and she realized that she was out in her back yard, in the dark, with a strange man. **

"**Hello Isabella." His voice was steady and calm and she realized that it was the very same voice that she had heard calling to her earlier. The nearness made it sound deeper and husky.**

**She just stared, too shocked and confused to reply, but nodded in acknowledgment of the greeting. He'd called her Isabella. She had always hated her full name but couldn't find her voice to tell him. Looking at him closer, she realized that he looked familiar. She'd seen him before, she was sure, but could not place where. He was like an old dream from years ago that had come back to haunt her. **

**Bella's mind spun. He looked too old to be at school, and she had not been anywhere socially for two years. But, he was too young to be an associate of her mother. This was annoying her, she had definitely seen him before, but where?**

**He just looked at her, waiting for her to make the next move, but Bella held her ground and made a conscious effort to take deep breaths to control herself and avoid doing anything stupid. This seemed to help her clear her head and she found it easier to fight the unconscious pull toward him. She was now contemplating running inside, because that is what her good judgment was telling her she should do.**

**But neither of them moved.**

**He reached out slowly and gently rubbed his thumb over her jaw, wiping away the moisture that had accumulated there. Her skin burned where his finger were and flames leapt through her core and sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. Bella had forgotten about the rain. She regained her senses, his touch seemed to have completely severed the last tie she had to maintaining immobility. She took a small step back and gasped. Her heart was about to leap out of her throat and her skin felt clammy. She wasn't sure if she was covered by the rain or by a layer of sweat, but the moisture made her shiver.**

_**What was she doing? **_

"**Who are you? What are you doing?" Bella managed to garble out. She heard the tremble in her voice and cringed, she hated betraying any emotion.**

"**I came to see you." he spoke with confidence, like it should have been completely obvious.**

"**But **_**who**_** are you?" Bella repeated her first question and looked at him, hoping that she displayed more confidence than she felt. Looking back up at him was a mistake. She felt the emotion, the shuttering of heat that tingled through her body to her fingertips, surge through her again. She had listened to the other girls at school when they had gotten crushes, read romance books, watched movies, but had always rolled her eyes and snickered at what she saw as silliness. That sort of thing belonged in fairy tales and dreams for little girls. Things like that never happened in real life.**

**But here she was, standing in front of a complete stranger, wondering if the butterflies in her stomach would stop fluttering and if her pulse would ever slow to a normal speed. Her mind was screaming at her frantically over and over again that she shouldn't be out here, but her heart was telling her that her that they were meant to meet, that they were meant to be together. To justify the emotions she was feeling, she tried to convince herself that she was just frightened of what he might do to her and then, instantly, chided herself for feeling fear. This was her yard, and he was on her property, with her mother and sister just inside the house. He was in her place and she should have the upper hand and the decision on whether he was welcome.**

_**In theory, **_**she thought.**

"**My name is Edward," he stated. He had an accent that Bella couldn't place. It almost like he had picked up one from everywhere and then combined them into his own special version of lilting speech. **

"**Edward." She stated, her tone carrying across her irritation, which seemed to amuse him**_**.**_

"Yes, Edward," he confirmed, humor glinting in his eyes.

Bella didn't have to feign her anger now, she was really furious that he had the audacity to come here, call her down from the house, and then give her some haughty attitude.

"You asked who I was…and I told you," he replied cheekily. Bella thought she saw a hint of humor glinting in his eyes and, when he moved the light from the house caught his eyes, she saw that they were the color of raw honey.

"Well then, Edward, what are you doing here? Were you calling to me earlier?" Bella knew the answer to this question, but felt she needed it vocalized to make a point.

Instead of answering her questions, Edward just stated, "You can see me. I need you to come with me."

Bella registered that this was an odd thing to say, of course she could see him, she was standing right in front of him. He was not asking her, he was telling her. He had a very strange pattern to the way he spoke. It was strained and uncomfortable.

But Bella did not like being told what to do. She never had. She had always been the kid that stood up to bullies and rebelled against the many silly teen clicks that always developed in school. This mentality came flooding back to her as soon as she heard the order in his voice, giving her a new surge of strength and confidence.

"What?" Bella said, harshly and a little too loudly, and quickly looked back toward the house, wondering if anyone had heard.

"This is crazy." she objected, not giving him a chance to respond. "You better go before I call the police." She had decided that things were getting more than a little weird, and that she had tempted fate a too much for one night.

Her mind wandered back to some of her earlier worries about who this man could be and now was a little concerned; he wanted her to go with him, and Bella knew that spelled trouble.

Bella turned to leave. It wasn't safe to stand here and talk to him; it had been a stupid move to come out here in the first place and she needed to just go inside and report a trespasser. She would let the good officers of Forks take care of him. She even thought that maybe he was mentally disturbed. _Well, the authorities will make sure he gets help._

She turned to go, but didn't even move a single step; he moved in front of her, blocking her path. She gasped and wondered how she was going to get past him.

"Isabella, you cannot go back in there." Edward stated harshly with a more urgency this time. "I need to you come with me." His posture told her that he was ready to stop anything that she tried to do and she was frightened of what he was planning. This was serious.__

"Hell no!" she exclaimed, making to back away from him. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You need to move. Now. I'm serious." Bella really was worried. She thought about screaming, and wondered if Jessica would be able to hear her if she did and have the presence of mind to call for help. She knew it was futile to hope for help from her mom. Bella knew that she wouldn't budge. A train wreck in couldn't wake her.

She tried to step around him, deciding that she would make a run for it, but he seemed to anticipate her movements and stepped to block her. Furious, she tried with a little more vigor, but again she found herself blocked. Fear taking over, she made to spin around and just run for it, but she wasn't fast enough.

His hand shot out, grabbed her wrist, and jerked her back to his side. For an instant, her skin once again came alive under his grip, and she silently cursed her body for reacting, she was trying to get away from him.

Bella pulled and twisted in an attempt to loosen his grip.

"You asshole!" she hissed. "Let me go!"

She continued to try to pull and jerk away from him, but was only successful in twinging her shoulder; although his unrelenting grip was solid and tight, he didn't hurting her, she only hurt herself. In desperation, she aimed a kick at his shins, but he dodged it, and she lost her footing, tripped, almost landing on her butt. Almost. Edward's grip changed instantly, and he caught her before she hit the ground. A small squeak escaped from her throat; nothing like the blood curdling scream that she had been planning on. It was merely embarrassing pathetic whimper.

"You are going to make this much worse than it has to be." Edward spoke to her as if addressing a child in the middle of a tantrum. "Look, you need to come with me. You can make it easy or hard, it's up to you."

Bella's heart pounded in her chest. He was going to kidnap her, and then what? Rape her? Maybe even murder her? All sorts of wild possibilities rushed through her head. She made one last ditch attempt to break free. She fought him as hard as she could, twisting this way and that, pulling with all her might, kicking out at him, desperately trying anything that might free her. Suddenly, her shoe made contact with his leg and she heard take a sharp intake of breath.

"Damn it!" he cursed, gritting his teeth. "Be good, will you?".

"Fuck you!" Bella hissed. She raised her free arm and used his momentary distraction to land a solid slap across his face. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. She sucked in all the air she could draw into her chest and prepared to make a sound that would alert not only those in her house, but the entire area, or her attack.

She didn't get a chance to scream, he wrapped his arms around her chest and held her firmly against him. His vise like grip all but took her breath away. Bella, with a last surge of adrenaline, pulled, jerked, kicked until her body was numb from the effort. He just stood there holding her. He only moved to dodge her attacks, but his grasp on her never loosened. Bella was getting more and more out of breath and, with her energy instantly draining, her limbs began to feel as heavy as lead. Eventually she stopped and was quiet.

She thought of her mom and sister in the house and hoped that when he was done with her, if she didn't get away, that he would leave them alone.

"There," Edward breathed, once she had ceased attacking him, pulling her closer to him with a gentle, yet uncompromising grip. He bent down and kissed her on the top of her head.

Bella couldn't form coherent words. He was too near to her and she had exhausted all over energy unsuccessful fighting him. Her reply sound more like a trapped animal's growl.

"Okay," Edward said softly. "I think that we have had enough."

He reached his hands up to her forehead, and gently caressing her, moved his fingers softly over her eyes and then to her lips, stopping at the trace of her jaw line.

"Sleep Isabelle." he whispered lightly into her ear.

She felt herself grow drowsy ,and Bella knew, she had collapsed into his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Introductions

When Bella woke, the first thing she noticed was that she was warm. Too warm. Her faced was flushed and she felt drops of sticky moisture pearling on her forehead. She found that she was covered with several heavy, thick blankets. She tried to push them off, but her body was stiff and her limbs were heavy, like she had been laying in the same position for hours.

Bella tried to remember where she was and how she had gotten here, but her mind was sluggish, and nothing was coming to her.

Suddenly, she heard some movement to her right. She jerked her head toward the sound and felt a wave a nausea as her head spun. Ignoring the dizziness, she tried to focus her tired eyes to determine the source of the movement.

After a few moments, the spinning stopped and her focused on a small woman sitting in a plush chair with a book in her lap. She looked older than Bella, and was very pretty. Her dark her was cut in a pixie style that accentuated her petite, elfin features and framed her small face. She had on a pair of well fitted jeans and a white peasant blouse. Her amber eyes were watching Bella intently as if she had been waiting for her to wake up. When the woman's eyes focused on her, Bella cringed and she felt her eyes bore right into her.

Even though the woman had yet to speak or move, she could feel the alarming energy that radiated from her. Bella briefly recalled a program that she had seen on the Discovery channel that featured animals that were ready to strike. The woman had the same presence and Bella prepared herself for an attack.

The woman got up and moved toward her. Bella instinctly flinched away and skid to the other side of the bed without getting up. She couldn't help but notice how graceful the woman was. She also noticed that her first impression of the woman's age was incorrect. Her face was sweet and youthful, and Bella thought that she had been mistaken about the woman being older than her, she looked only about sixteen.

The woman realized that she had startled Bella and halted momentarily, hovering where she stood, waiting for her to relax.

"I know you are scared. That's okay. My name is Alice." her voice was deep and husky, yet her tone was gently and soothing. "Are you hungry?"

Bella was stunned. This is not the words that she had been imagining. Her mind was screaming a million responses but all she could croak out was a weak, "What?".

"Food? Would you like some?" she calmly asked. There was no menace in Alice's response and she seemed genuinely concerned. Bella was not sure, but she thought she heard amusement too.

"Where am I?" Bella said and ignored the food offer. _At least my voice sounded stronger_, she thought.

"You are in my home and you are a guest," Alice replied. "How about I send for some food? There is a bathroom through there and I'm sure you would like to clean up." as she pointed to one of the doors.

Bella just stared with her month open. She had been kidnapped, was in this woman's home and she was talking to her about ordering food and showering. She didn't know what to think.

"You will find clean clothes in that dresser. Help yourself to anything you like." Alice kept talking as if all of this was perfectly normal and she was really was an invited guest, except guest didn't have their host watching over them as they slept.

"I need to go home. My mom will be worried," Bella stammered.

Alice looked at her and her amber eyes held pity. "No. Your mom will not be worried," she said and picked up the phone right away and began speaking into to it without dialing. Bella couldn't make out the words Alice said but could tell she was placing an order of some kind.

"Of course my mom will be worried," Bella replied harshly. "She thinks I'm in my room. She's going to have a fit when she realizes that I'm not there anymore. I need to go home." She reasoned, but the last part sounded more like a whine. "Now." she added for emphasis.

Alice hung up the phone. "No, I told she won't be worried. Now, food will be here in twenty minutes. Go clean up and then we will eat." It was an order. Her amber eyes flashed and Bella realized that she was no push over. Alice was a woman of great strength. Bella shivered.

Bella sat up in bed and crossed her arms. She was not going to do anything this woman told her even if she was scared.

"I think you owe me an explanation." she said. Bella told herself that she was not going to move until someone explained where she was, when she was going home. She sat there trying to pretend to be stronger than she was, when actually all she wanted to do was curl up, cry, and beg to be taken home but she wasn't going to give Alice the satisfaction of seeing that. Bella didn't want her to know how scared she really was.

Alice did not respond. In fact, she reading her book like she hadn't even heard her. The silence was deafening, but Bella was resolved not to give in. The minutes went by and Bella felt each one acutely. She knew that if it came to a battle of wills, she would lose.

She looked away, and began to look for the first time at the room she was in. She was laying in a massive four poster bed in the middle of a large room. The room was not chilly, so Bella kicked off the first few colorful quilts and found that she was still fully clothed but someone had removed her shoes.

There was an unlit fire place to her left, several dressers and a huge writing desk. Several other plush chairs were scattered around the room. All the furniture was wood and look solid and heavy and the walls were painted a bland cream that went perfectly with the dark wood.. It was the kind of furniture that was rarely made anymore and it glowed, like it was regularly polished by loving hands. Under different circumstances, she would have loved this room.

Directly across from where she lay in the bed, was a huge window that was large enough to possibly be a doorway out, but the heavy blue velvet curtains were closed. Bella didn't know what time of day it was, but made a mental note that that might be a potential escape route if Alice attacked. It seemed very unlikely, but Bella wasn't forgoing any possibilities.

Her mind wandered, and she found herself wonderinghow she got here. However, all that can to mind was the gentle feeling of Edward's last touch and then waking up here. She was startled that even now, as she thought about Edward, she could feel her body react again.

_What had happened? _She had never heard of anyone's touch knocking a person out. She thought that maybe he had really hit her and that she just didn't remember it. _Maybe it was magic?_ Bella dismissed that theory immediately. She knew that that was not possible.

She realized then, that there was more to Edward than she had thought. He had called her from the trees when there was no way she should had been able to hear him. Then she wondered about the draw she had felt toward him, which was like a magnetic pull that she couldn't fight.

Bella was miles away, thinking about Edward, when there was a soft knock at the door, Bella jumped, distracted by her thoughts. She watches as Alice got up to let an old man push a cart full of silver covered trays into the room. He bowed slightly to Alice and left without a word.

Bella could smell the food and her stomach rumbled embarrassingly. Eggs, bacon, something fruity and a few smells she couldn't place came from the cart. There was even coffee. Bella never did like the taste of coffee but had always enjoyed the smell and she could tell that the coffee was rich and freshly ground just from the deep aroma.

Alice moved the cart closer to the bed and began removing the covers from the various platters. Bella noticed how graceful Alice was in even those simple movements.

"Go on, eat. You'll need your strength." Alice's voice was calm.

Bella did not respond. She just sat there and tried to ignore the aroma of the food. She did not know how long she had been sleeping and the granola bar she had eaten before any of this had happened was a poor substitute for a meal. She was hungry and her growling stomach was betraying her and challenging her resolve to refuse the food.

"You're not hurting anyone but yourself by not eating. You may as well have a bite." Alice was talking to her like a child, but she did smile encouragingly.

Bella wasn't ready to give in. They both sat there for awhile in a stalemate. After a few minutes, Alice sighed and went back to her chair and book.

"Suit yourself." she said quietly.

Bella could ignore the food. She told herself that it was probably poisoned anyway and that she was doing herself a favor by not eating it.

She wondered if her mom had noticed that she was gone yet. Unless the school called to find out why she was absent, she probably hadn't. Rarely did mom wake up before Bella and Jessica left for school. Jessica would have noticed something, though. Normally, they ate breakfast together before going their separate ways. Bella walked to school and Jessica had one of her 'boyfriends' pick her up and she was never without one of those.

Bella wondered if Jessica would wake mom up when she didn't come down for school. It had never happened before so Bella wasn't sure. She was normally the one who had to wake up her sister. She probably woke up late and didn't even check to see where Bella was. She figured Jessica would probably think that Bella had a crush on Mike Newton and was jealous that he wanted to go out with her and failed to wake her up on purpose.

Bella shivered at the thought of liking Mike in that way. She never had, but Jessica thought her opinion was the only one that mattered, and if _she_ thought Mike was to die for, then everyone else must feel that way too.

Bella sighed and laid back down on the bed, pulling the remaining blankets around her. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. Her mind wandered all over the place until it fell on Edward again. She was still sure that she had seen him before.

Bella ran through everything that she could think of to try and place him; the grocery store, Wal-Mart, gas stations. But nothing seemed to fit.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but suddenly, a thought came to her and she sat bolt upright. Maybe Edward would tell her what was going on because he was the one that had sought her out and there had to be a purpose for it. She decided to test this idea.

"Where's Edward?" Bella asked breaking the silence.

Alice looked up from her book a little startled. Bella realized that she had not been paying that much attention to her.

"Why do you want to know where Edward is?" Alice seemed a little suspicious. Bella also thought that she heard something else in her voice but couldn't quite place it.

"Well…he brought me here, right?" Bella asked tentavely. She was trying to word this carefully so Alice wouldn't be suspicious. "I …ah…want to talk to him."

"You can ask me anything that you would ask him," Alice replied eying her.

"Can I see him?" Bella tried to sound innocent, but ignored Alice's comment.

Alice just looked her and thought for a moment. "Why don't you clean up first. Then I will see if Edward wants to see you." Bella was not convinced that she would but, at this point, she didn't know what her options were.

A shower and clean clothes were starting to sound appealing. Bella still did not know why she was here or where here even was, but she figured she may as well be comfortable. She slid toward the end of the bed and swung her legs around to get up. She hadn't realized how high it was. Her feet didn't touch the ground and for a moment she felt like a little kid.

"While you are changing, I'll have Robert bring up some sandwich's. I know you have got to be hungry and you didn't touch any of the other food," Alice said cheerfully as she pointed at the now cold breakfast trays.

Bella knew that not enough time had passed for the transition from breakfast to lunch but didn't argue. The food looked cold, rubbery and completely unappetizing. She just nodded her head and slid off the bed. Her head spun a little when she first got to her feet. Balancing herself she looked around again.

"I'm going to step out and give you some privacy. When you are done, just pick up the phone and ask for me. I won't be far." Alice smiled and left the room. When she closed the door, Bella heard the sound of a lock engage and groaned at the sentiment. Alice didn't trust her.

Bella just shook her head. She was having a difficult time figuring Alice out. One minute she was acting like a girl who had a guest over for a slumber party, the next like a guard dog freak.

With Alice out of the room, Bella walked over to the window and lifted the heavy curtain. What she saw took her breath away.

"Oh my God," she said to herself.

It was dusk. She must have been out for an entire day. Bella recognized nothing. Instead of the tall green trees that dominated the Forks landscape, there were rolling hills covered with feathery waving grasses. The kind of foothill you see at the base of a mountain. Her room was at least four stories up. She tried to slide the window open.

"Damn it," she muttered. The window was locked tight and wouldn't budge. She stood there for a few more minutes. There were no tell tale signs of city lights anywhere in the horizon. There was only the never ending roll of hills. A few trees dotted the immediate landscape and Bella guessed that they were planted. Their positioning was too perfect and they weren't like any of the thick forests around Forks that she was used to. There was what looked like a small pond a little ways away toward the east. The dimming light sent long shadows over it and made the water sparkle like pools of silver.

She could see very little of the building she was in. The walls were stone she could tell that much from trying to crane her neck against the glass. She fleetingly wondered if she was in a castle, but shook that thought off immediately. _No one lived in castles any more_.

Bella realized, with a sigh, that she was not getting out through here and closed the curtains. She told herself that she would find another way out. She walked over to the dresser Alice had said there were clothes in. When she opened the first deep drawer, Bella saw that there were indeed plenty of clothes. She grabbed the first pair of jeans that she saw. Inspecting them she saw that they were designer and, luckily, her size. She probed further and found a dark blue shirt and grabbed that as well.

The next drawer held an assortment of under garments. Some which made her blush just looking at them. There was a lot of silk and lace and Bella had to dig to find some white cotton. Surprisingly, everything she found was in her size.

"Hmmm," Bella said to herself and opened the door to the bathroom.

However, this was no bathroom, it was a spa. The room was bigger than her entire living room at home. There was a marble vanity with two sinks, and a long mirror covered the entire wall over them. There were several cabinets that looked more like a wardrobe than a place to store bathroom supplies. Marble steps, that perfectly matched the vanity, led up to a bathtub that could hold several people. Bella fantasized about soaking in it but quickly chastised herself. _You aren't on vacation_ she reminded herself.

Bella threw the clean clothes on the sink and searched through one of the cabinets for soap and shampoo. She found what she was looking for. At least she thought she found it. The labels, adorning the brand new bottles, were all in a foreign language, she thought might be French**, **but she didn't really have a clue, so she was judging by the bottle type and smell.

Clutching her finds, she gingerly walked over to the shower**, **feeling slightly alien in this pristine environment, and reached out a hand to turn it on**, **aware of the finger marks she left on the gleaming chrome as she did so. The shower boast of three shower heads place a varying heights and it took her a minute to figure out how to operate it. The water was hot, and **s**team was quickly filling the room**, **misting up the mirrors and glass door of the shower. Bella stripped off her old clothes and climbed into the shower. She scrubbed

herself and washed her hair. After she was done, she just stood there and let the hot water relax her body. She childishly hoped that she would use all of the hot water in the house.

Her mind wandered, and **e**verything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours suddenly rushed through her brain**; **she had no need to be brave in the shower. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of home and her mom and sister. Would she ever see them again? Would she ever be home again? What was going to happen to her? The tears that at first were gently cascading down her cheeks grew into great wracking sobs, and she took in great gasping breaths of hot steamy air. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor of the shower**,** with her knees drawn to her chest**,** bawling into the humid mist.

But the shower had to end at some time. Her fingers and toes were completely wrinkled and she had been unsuccessful in draining the hot water it kept coming, just as warm as when she first turned it on. Sniffing and hiccoughing slightly**, **Bella pulled herself up and let the hot water wash away the last of her tears. Turning off the water at last, she reached for a huge white towel, taking a moment to notice just how soft and warm it was, and dried herself quickly. She used another towel to wrap her wet hair into a neat twist. She splashed some cold water onto her eyes, hoping that this would hide the fact that she had been crying; she didn't want Alice or more importantly Edward, to know that she had shed tears.

Bella only took a minute to get dressed. After she was done, she opened the door into the room, almost expecting to see Alice sitting in the chair again, but the room was empty. The breakfast tray had been removed and, in its place, was a platter with several meat varieties and a loaf of what looked like freshly made bread.

Her stomach rumbled loudly as she caught the aroma of the bread. The warm, doughy made her mouth water but she didn't want to take Alice up in her hospitality. With her stomach making an even louder noise, Bella realized that she was starving and gave in to her hunger. _Only one_ she compromised with herself as she made herself a sandwich and sat down in the chair next to the phone. It tasted even more delicious than she had imagined, and she scoffed it down in minutes.She debated a second**,** but now her stomach was slightly satisfied, the need to see Edward was more compelling. Hesitating slightly, **s**he picked up the phone.

A official sounding voice on the line immediately responded, "Operator."

"Ummm. I'm looking for Alice." Bella inquired, not entirely sure if she should tell them who she was and what she wanted Alice for but she didn't need to. The voice responded with a quick 'Of Course' and the line went dead.

Bella hung up the phone. There was nothing to do but wait now. She pulled her legs under her and said a silent prayer that she would be able to talk to Edward, and that he would explain that this was all a misunderstanding and take her home. She decided that she wouldn't even report this to the authorities if she just got home safely.

After a few minutes, the door opened without a knock. Bella sat upright, tense with apprehension and turned her head to see Alice walk into the room. She was surprised that she had gotten there so quickly and wondered if she had been waiting outside the door.

"Can I see Edward now?" Bella hopefully asked.

"Not yet," Alice replied with a smile. "There are some things that need to be explained to you. Come here." She moved and sat down on the end of the bed, patting the sheets next to her

Bella hesitated, unsure of what she wanted to do but she did not want to get Alice upset with her. Her only chance of survival might be by following her directions. She got up and took a few steps closer to Alice. Alice motioned for her to come closer and then told her to turn around with her back to her.

Bella did as she was told but didn't breathe. She wasn't sure what Alice was capable of but didn't put anything past her.

She felt the towel that she wrapped her hair with being pulled off and then felt the pull of a brush. Even though Alice was only brushing out her hair, Bella couldn't relax. She was technically an adult and no one had brushed her hair for her in years. It made her more than a little uncomfortable.

"Alright," Alice said after her hair was finished. It fell long and wet against her back and Bella could feel the moisture from it clinging to her back through the shirt. "I want you to come with me."

Bella nodded mutely and looked around the room for her shoes. She saw them by one of dressers and walked over to grab them. She quickly slipped them on and followed Alice out of the room.

After being in the room, Bella should have been able to imagine what the rest of the home looked like, but the sight took her breath away. They were on the fourth floor of a massive complex. The one side of each pf the four walls of the structure was lined with doors. The entire center of the building was open, and Bella could see all the down to a massive atrium on the ground floor. It was green and lush with a fountain bubbling in the center. The only thing keeping her from stepping off and falling all the down was a black wrought iron railing. She noticed that each of the floors were surrounded with the same.

There were wide stairs on either side of the complex facing each other. They walked around to the stairs on the left. She looked up to notice that the center of the ceiling was full of hanging bright lights that emitted heat like a warm summer day. Pieces of art work adorned the walls but she didn't pay any attention to what they were. Instead she concentrated on each step as she followed Alice down.

She did notice that between every set of doors were several chairs and loveseats in royal blue and red velvet. They looked squishy and soft and the wood work on each had the same polished glow as that in the room she had been in.

They walked down the three levels to the first floor. Each level was decorated the same. Whoever owned this building had money beyond belief. No expense was spared in any of the work that went into designing and decorating.

Alice led her to a double door that was in the corner of the ground floor almost directly under the stairs. She knocked lightly and then, without waiting for a response, open the door and motioned for Bella to go in.

Bella did. It was an office of sorts. The main focus of the room was a large mahogany desk with papers piled haphazardly on it. Behind the desk was a full bookshelf filled to overflowing with leather bound volumes. Bella couldn't make out any of the titles and wondered what the people in this home read. In front of the desk were several chairs. Alice led her to one, and Bella sat down still looking about her. There was also a fire place in the room and another door. Alice headed to the door.

She didn't say anything. She just opened the door and then came back to sit in the chair nearest to Bella.

"What are we doing in here?" Bella asked.

"Shhh," Alice said quietly. "and only speak when directly questioned."

This really got Bella's mind turning. They were waiting for something or someone and she wasn't allowed to speak. She wondered who would be coming in.

She didn't have to wait long. The door opened and two men and another woman entered the room. They were all beautiful. One of the men was massively muscled with short brown hair. The other man was tall, blond and extremely graceful. He was well built but looked lanky next to the other but there was an air of confidence about him. The woman had light brown hair and a motherly look to her. She was thin but curvy.

The blonde man moved around to sit at the desk with the woman standing by his side. The burly man remained standing by the door like a guard. He seemed to be on edge and waiting for something.

"My name is Carlisle," the blonde man spoke. "This is my wife, Esme and our son Emmett." He gestured to each as he introduced them.

The woman, Esme, gave Bella a soft smile and Bella decided that this is a woman who might help her.

"There are a few others like us," Carlisle continued. "I'll introduce them when they are available. You'll have enough to deal with without trying to remember who is who."

Bella mind was screaming again at this man. Carlisle's words, 'A few others like us', and 'you will have enough to deal with'.__She wondered what all of this meant.

Bella said nothing as instructed by Alice though, she didn't think She would have been able to speak even if she wanted to.

"Do you know why you are here?" Carlisle asked.

Bella just shook her head no. Why would she know why she was brought here.

"Well, my dear," Carlisle said gently. "The fact is, you can see us and that makes you valuable."

Bella's mind kicked on. She remembered Edward saying something similar. He had said that he was in her yard because she could see him.

"That doesn't make any sense," Bella managed to choke out. "Of course I can see you; you're right in front of me,"

Carlisle smiled. He nodded toward Emmett who slipped back into the other room.

"Bella, dear, lets you and I walk." Carlisle got up and moved toward her. "Esme, Alice. Will you two see to Edward, please?"

Both women nodded and silently left the room. Carlisle was standing in front of Bella, who really hadn't moved since sitting down. He extended his hand toward her in a universal gesture of gentlemanness. Bella took his hand and got out of the chair.

"Let me show you the grounds," Carlisle said warmly.

He led her back out the door into the atrium. He showed her the plant life and named off some of the more exotic plants. Bella knew she would never remember any of them and wasn't even trying. She was only focused on not fainting and appearing weak.

Carlisle led her to some ornately carved doors and pushed them open. Even in the dark, Bella could see that the landscape was beautifully done and meticulously kept. She followed him into the night to a small wrought iron bench that was positioned underneath a large tree. Bella didn't know a lot about tree types but she recognized the feathery hanging braches of a willow.

"Sit," Carlisle said, gesturing toward the bench.

Bella sat down and clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. Carlisle had done nothing to hurt her or cause her to fear him but she wasn't sure that she could trust him. She kept her head down and could feel him scrutinizing her.

"I imagine that you have a lot of questions right now, but I ask that you be patient and I will explain everything in due time," he told her gently. He turned and sat down beside her. "Would you like to hear my story?"

"I…I don't know," Bella stammered, taken back by the unexpected offer. "I really just want to go home."

"I'm sorry Bella, but that I cannot allow. You see, we need you," Carlisle said. "And I think, that you may need us too."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Bella cried in frustration. She could feel the tears beginning to slip from her eyes and roll slowly down her cheek. She hadn't wanted to break down in front of this man, or anyone, but she couldn't control the emotion.

"Ahh, Bella," Carlisle soothed softly. "It's alright to be upset. You have so much to learn and you have no answers yet."

Carlisle moved and put his arms around her and let her cry into his shoulder. This act of kindness from the very man who was denying her the one thing she really wanted brought on a new wave of tears. Tears not only caused by the kidnapping, but tears for the loss of her father. No one had held her like this since his death and Carlisle had such a fatherly air about him.

She didn't know how long she cried for but the tears finally let up and she found herself still lying in the crook of his arms with her head on his shoulder. Carlisle didn't move her away but let her lay there. Bella felt her breathing return to normal and reached up to wipe her face and nose. Carlisle was quicker than her and had a handkerchief waiting.

"Thank you," Bella said. She was glad that her did not make a fuss at her display of weakness.

"You are not weak because you shed tears Bella. Tears are only a sign of the great love you hold for those around you," Carlisle said quietly.

Bella looked up at him and wondered how he knew what she was thinking and why Alice had told her not to speak until questioned.

Carlisle smiled brilliantly at her. "I cannot completely read minds Bella, but I am gifted in that I can see into a person and know what he or she is thinking to a point. The stronger the emotion, the more clear it is to me. It's easier for me to get a read on a person if they are not speaking. Words can muddle up my impressions. "

Bella just looked at him blankly. She had no idea what to say to that. So instead she wiped her eyes, blew her nose and gripped the handkerchief in her hands.

"Where's Edward?" she did dare to ask.

"Edward is being looked after by Alice and Esme. You see you're presence here has…." Carlisle searched for the right words."…let's just say that he is having a difficult time right now."

"But why? I mean, he was the one that dragged me here. If my being here was so hard for him, shouldn't he just left me alone when I told him to?" Bella felt no pity for her kidnapper and secretly was glad he was suffering for what he did to her.

She could see that Carlisle was amused. "You, of all people, should know that it is not that simple."

"Humph." was all that Bella got out.

"If you would let me tell you my story. I think that it might help explain a little." Carlisle looked at her in a way that made her feel calm.

Bella adjusted herself in the bench.

"Okay," she said. "Tell me your story."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Fairy Tales**

**Carlisle took a deep breath and settled into the bench, next to her. He watched her for a minute and seemed to buying time to collect his thoughts. His expression was peaceful, but far away in his own thoughts.**

**Bella wondered what kind of story Carlisle would tell, and assumed it would be a tale of a poor boy, with abusive parents, who grew up to be a successful businessman with unlimited assets. She sighed, pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her chin on her knees. She hoped that wasn't some new form of cruel and unusual punishment. She wasn't sure how long she could sit here and prayed that his tale would be brief.**

**Carlisle took a chest full of air and began.**

"**I was born in the year seventeen fifty four. I was raised with my two sisters working land owned by a local lord. It was hard work. The lord of the land was a cruel and insecure man, and felt that if he kept all of his subjects from gaining any wealth, he would avoid any uprising. When I was twenty two, both of my parents passed, which left me the task of finding suitable husbands for my younger sisters. It was difficult times for all and I wasn't sure how I was going to make ends meet, no less come up with a suitable dowry. Tanya, who was the older of the two managed to make a good match with the son of a local butcher. She went on to have six children. I believe her descendents are still living somewhere in England. I have long since kept track." **

**Bella interrupted immediately, "You were born when?" Her voice was high with disbelief.**

"**Seventeen fifty four," Carlisle responded calmly, "and, please, let me tell you this. I promise it will make sense when I am finished."**

**Bella blushed. "I am sorry. I was just shocked when you said the date. I didn't think that you could have been over thirty," she apologized. She was beginning to have doubts about his sanity and didn't want to upset him by being rude.**

"**You're forgiven. I supposed, I could have warned you." Carlisle smiled at her.**

**Bella nodded and looked at him. She realized that she did want to hear whatever he had to say, it would, at least, be entertaining.**

"**Rosalie, the youngest of us, was only sixteen at this time. Although in that day, she was old enough to marry, she had no desire to become a wife. She was wild, rebellious, and was also very beautiful. She had long, golden blonde hair and blue eyes that could melt the heart of the most evil of beasts. She could have married ten times over the number of suitors who called on her, yet she showed no favor towards any of them. Even though I respected her spirit and loved her dearly, I could not support her on my own. When I tried to explain this to her, she cried and told me how cruel I was to want to throw her out to some man she had no feelings for her and grow fat pushing out children she didn't want. Eventually, I gave in and told her that she didn't have to marry anyone if she didn't want to."**

**Carlisle took a deep breath and then continued.**

"**Rosalie and I lived together for another year. I tended the land the best I could by myself and Rosalie had a kept a garden. She could grow anything and managed to always have enough to sell to market and help support us. We were comfortable in our life and seemed to be getting by just fine, but we worked hard."**

"**In September, I believe it would have been seventeen seventy seven, we did not track time as well then, Rosalie had taken a load of late season tomatoes and squash to the market for sale. The days were starting to get shorter and I begged her to wait for me to accompany her, so she wouldn't have to return alone in the dark. Rosalie, being who she was, just laughed and said that she would be back soon and not to worry. I always worried when she went to market alone. As, I said, she was a beautiful girl and I knew more than one man lusted after her. She had also scorned many of the local woman. Not personally, but they were jealous of her beauty and put off by her not taking a husband. Rumors flew about her being a loose woman who took random men to bed and that she couldn't be satisfied with only one. They were all lies, of course. Rosalie really saw no use for a man."**

**Bella looked up at Carlisle. His voice had become softer then, like he was fantasizing about a lover, and she wondered if there was more to the story than he was telling her.**

"**Patience Bella, I will get to it." Carlisle told her, obviously picking up on her questions.**

**Bella was starting to get annoyed with his mind reading trick.**

"**You see Bella, you were right to wonder about my feelings for Rosalie. Although she was my sister, as time went by, I began to see her as more than that. I began to understand why all the men courted her. I wanted her too. I wanted her as a man wanted a woman."**

**Bella gasped in revulsion at this revelation. "That's incest!" She couldn't look at him after this and quickly turned her head to focus on a blade of grass on the ground in front of her.**

"**I'm just admitting what you picked up on. I'm not sure if she had chosen to take a husband at this time, I would have let her. I would have fought to keep her with me at my side. Now I realize that it was just the lust of young men, but I did think that I was in love with her and would have done anything for her. You see, times were different then."**

"**But she was your sister. How could you think that way about her?" Bella continued. She couldn't seem to get past a brother and sister being together sexually and actually felt her stomach churn in disgust.**

"**Bella, I cannot tell you that it wasn't wrong to want her that way. My only excuse is that I was a young man, and young men are often ruled by their baser emotions, not their minds. I also assumed that she would soon marry, even though she said she didn't want to, and that then the temptation would go away."**

"**So, did she get married?" Bella asked. She wanted to move away from this subject.**

"**She never got the chance to." Carlisle went on with his story. "Rosalie never came home that night. The next morning, I went to town to find out what happened and nobody would admit to seeing her the day before and none of the vendors had purchased any produce for her. She apparently never made it to town."**

"**I spent the next couple of days asking again and again, until I could no longer ignore the needs of the land. The people in town were slamming their doors on me, so I wasn't getting any further anyway. There were rumors, of course, but I knew none of them were true. People spoke of her meeting a man and running away with him. I knew Rosalie wouldn't have done this, it wasn't like her. And she wouldn't have left without telling me first. That's how we were. We told each other everything."**

**Bella could see the sadness and pain that Rosalie's disappearance had caused and felt a tinge of pity for him. Even though she was completely sickened by Carlisle's admittance to incestuous feelings, she did understand what it felt like to lose a sister. In a sense, she had lost hers too.**

"**So, what did you do then?" she asked. She thought if he went back to his story, he could move past this, and so could she.**

"**Nothing. I did nothing. I continued working the land as I always had. Only there was no joy in it anymore. Without Rosalie there, I was empty. I cursed myself for thinking that I could forget her if she moved on. I was miserable. Days and weeks went by and then the winter came. Winter was always a slower season, so I spent a lot of time just staring at the fire debating what I was going to do with my life. I thought about leaving and trying to start over somewhere else. I even thought of taking a wife, but none of the local girls compared to Rosalie, and everyone I saw reminded me of her. Part of me was also hopeful that she would return to me. I wanted her to come home and if I left, she may not be able to find me."**

**Carlisle's eyes held a hint of shame as he said this, but Bella didn't notice. She was beginning to become entranced by the story.**

"**One night, it was mid winter, I was out getting more wood for the fire. It was a cold evening, and I had already gone through the supply I had in the house. As I was turning to take the wood back in, she was there. She was more beautiful than I remembered. Her golden hair seemed to glow in the moonlight. I dropped the wood I was carrying right where I was standing, and ran to her. I grabbed her in my arms, held her tight, and cried my relief. I cannot explain the joy that surged through me as I held her and knew that she had returned to me." **

"**It took me awhile to notice she was changed. I was so overjoyed to have her there in my arms that, at first, I didn't notice that her skin was ice cold and hard to the touch. When I finally did, I slowly backed off, though I never let go of her hand, and looked down at her. She just smiled and the sight took my breath away. She inhaled deeply, like she was smelling a delicious aroma and that's when I saw her eyes. They were blood red, with pink tinged tears rolling down her perfect cheeks."**

**Carlisle shivered and took a breath but he continued.**

"**I asked her where she had been and if she was okay. She told me that she had changed and now she was better than she had ever been. She wanted me to go with her and experience the freedom that she now knew. I didn't understand what she meant by that or where she wanted me to go. Then she hit me with something even I couldn't refuse. She told me that the reason that she had never taken a man to bed, or as a husband, is because she wanted me, and now she had found a way that we could be together. Knowing how I felt about her, I couldn't refuse. I didn't even try."**

**Bella was enthralled and a little disgusted. Carlisle had not said whether he had slept with her or not. She wasn't sure if she should ask him, or if she even wanted to know the answer.**

**Carlisle nodded knowingly, as if to answer her question. He hung his head a little and Bella had the distinct impression that he was confessing a dark secret.**

" **I was weak. After telling me that she loved me as a man, I would have gone anywhere with her, just to be together."**

**Carlisle was silent for a moment. He didn't look toward Bella, Instead he just stared out at nothing, absorbed in thoughts he didn't share.**

**Bella remained quiet. She patiently waited for him to continue.**

"**Afterward, she picked me up and carried me like I weighed no more than a pound and ran. She was so fast. She was faster than anything I had even imagined at the time and the speed made me dizzy and sick to my stomach. It seemed normal to her, though. She ran for what seemed like hours until we reached some caves and wasn't even winded. She set me down in front of the entrance and took my hand to lead the way. I offered no resistance and willingly followed. These caves were large, deep and full of cavernous rooms. Some of the rooms were larger than the rooms in our manor now. We walked for awhile until we came to an underground bubbling stream. That is where we stopped. She let go of my hand, blew me a kiss and the skipped to a corner. I looked around and was surprised that I could see that there was someone else in the cave with us. It was another man."**

"**Rosalie brought him forward and said 'Carlisle, this is Laurant and he can change you. I would try myself but I am not sure if I won't kill you'. Needless to say, this got me extremely frightened. Laurant smiled and I saw fangs. I begged Rosalie to tell me what was going on but she just told me to stay still and that it would be over quickly. Laurant whispered something to Rosalie, that I could not hear, and she giggled. She had a laugh like a little girl, and that sound caused me to relax for a moment. I had always loved to listen to her laugh, but I also instantly felt jealousy towards the other man being the source of her pleasure and he was good looking. He was dark skinned and had long silky hair tied at the nape of his neck. Their contact was intimate, like lovers, and Rosalie was mine."**

"**That feeling didn't last long, though. Rosalie motioned for Laurant to go ahead and do what he needed to do. I stared at him and watched his fangs grow longer and his red eyes glaze over. I forgot about the misplaced jealousy and I realized what he was. Vampire. And I knew that's what Rosalie was too. She was undead! My heart raced and I was confused. I looked at her and began to cry. 'Why Rosalie? Why did this happen?' I cried to her. She just smiled and told me that she was free and not to cry for her. Laurant was going to set me free too and then she and I could be together forever."**

"**As much as I wanted Rosalie, as much as I wanted to be with her, I did not want to be a vampire. I had heard enough stories about them to know that they were evil creations. Creatures banned from heaven or hell and condemned to roam the earth separate from the living. They preyed on lives. They drank blood. I yelled 'NO!' and ran. I had forgotten just how fast and strong Rosalie had been when she had brought me here. I just wanted out. I remember Rosalie yelling to Laurant to stop me but I kept running. I had to get away form them. My sister was dead and I wanted my life."**

"**For whatever reason, I was not pursued. I am not sure if the last of her human emotions kept her from forcing me or what, but I ran out of the caves and kept running. I didn't know where I was going. I just knew that I had to run. I ran until the early rays of dawn peeking over the hills came and then I collapsed. I was on a trail and in plain sight but I didn't care. I just sank to the ground, curled up and cried myself to an exhausted sleep."**

**Carlisle looked at Bella. Her mouth was gaped open in shock.**

"**V...v…vampire?" she stammered after gulping for air. "But…but that's not possible," **

"**But it is Bella," Carlisle solemnly said. "Vampires are as real as you or I. They're another being. Just as the birds are separate form the trees. Yet they all live. Requiring different types of sustenance."**

**Bella just shook her head. She could not believe this. She could not believe that vampires existed. **

"**But if this is true," Bella was trying to find fault in his story thus far.**

"**How is it that people do not know about them?" **

"**There are many things in this world that are not common knowledge," Carlisle explained calmly. "Long ago, more people knew and believed, but now, humans are so driven by science that they have forgotten how to see what is right in front of them." .**

"**Are you a vampire?" Bella asked cautiously. She wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask this, but if he was, she wanted to know right away. She would find a way to escape. She would rather die running than become a walking vampire snack bar.**

"**God no," Carlisle said and then laughed heartily. He seemed genuinely amused by her question. Then he really looked at her. "Oh, you were seriously asking. I'm sorry. It's just that no one has ever thought that **_**I**_** was a vampire." **

**He was trying, unsuccessfully, to make Bella feel better for asking. She just felt worse. She felt stupid. Stupid for believing him enough to even think that there might have been a possibility the ha was a vampire, or that they even existed.**

"**Would you like me to go on, or have you heard enough for tonight?" Carlisle asked in all seriousness.**

"**Go on," Bella said carefully, and then added "please". She did not want to offend him and his story, though she thought it was a fantasy, but it was interesting.**

"**All right. Well, I was passed out on the side of the road. I'm not sure how long I laid there. Part of me wanted to die but the other knew I needed to get up and keep moving. I laid there trying to decide the next move. I knew that I couldn't go home. I was afraid that Rosalie would come back for me and that, the next time, she wouldn't let me go. I had no other family except Tanya, and I didn't want to bring any of this to her, or her family. Besides, how would I explain to her that I had failed to protect Rosalie and what I let happen."**

"**So, I just laid there and faded in and out of consciousness. The next time I opened my eyes, there was a man bending over me. I shifted my body to look up at him and he immediately jumped back. He looked more frightened of me than I was of him. As if I was a threat. I was weak, tired and lying on the ground. He moved back toward me again, and looked me over. His eyes had questions but he did not speak any of them. I decided to ask him for help. I asked him if he could help me to the nearest town so I could find lodging for the night. He asked me the strangest question then. He asked if I could see him. I thought that was strange, and told him that if he didn't want to help me, then the least he could do was to stop staring and move on."**

"**This seemed to amuse him, but he held out his hand to help me to his feet. I stood up shakily, and went to thank him, but he shook his head no. I was puzzled. I had just escaped two vampires and now the only help I had was a man, that I assumed, was mentally unstable. He told me to follow him and I didn't have many options, so I did. We walked together for awhile until we came to a huge willow tree. He stopped there and then looked at me. He asked me if I trusted him. By this time, I didn't really know if I did or not. I was even wondering if I should've tempted fate, and just stayed laying on the trail. I was exhausted and confused. I didn't know how to answer him."**

"**He asked if I trusted him again. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did. Once I pushed aside the emotions caused by Rosalie's new life, and what had happened, I realized that I was drawn to him. Not in a sexual way, but, I don't know, I felt a kinship with him. It was like I had found a long lost twin brother. So I nodded and he smiled at me. That was the answer he had wanted."**

"**He grabbed my hand again and brought my body close to his. I tensed because it was unnatural for me to be so close to another man. He moved my body against his in an embrace-like hold, and told me to close my eyes. I did. I felt him take a step forward and I moved with him. His grip did not lax. We moved a few more steps together like this and then I felt myself falling."**

"**Falling? Like to the ground?" Bella asked curiously.**

"**No. More like a free fall. We fell together for only a second and then there was ground under my feet. He told me that I could open my eyes, and as I did, the first thing I noticed was that I was sick. I fell to the ground and heaved over and over again. There was no food in my stomach, but that didn't stop the response. My head hurt like I had been hit over the head with a bat and my eyes couldn't focus on anything around me. I asked him what he had done to me and he told me that it was always like this for mortals. I ignored his response, which made no sense to me at the time, and focused on trying to pull myself together. The man picked me up, like I weighed no more than a small child, and carried me into a small cabin and he put me to bed."**

"**When I awoke, I felt better, but was a little uneasy. I wasn't sure what was a nightmare and what was real, but as I looked around, I realized that I didn't know where I was. I sat up and the man brought me some fresh bread and bean soup. He told me that his name was Jasper, and that I was the first person that had been able to see him in over 100 years."**

"**What?" Bella said, looking up at Carlisle. **

**She had finally had enough with the fairy tales. This was too strange for her and was more than ready to go home. Her patience had run thin.**

"**I'm telling you my story so that you may begin to understand," Carlisle said blankly. He looked at her like he expected her to understand.**

"**But I don't understand anything that's going on." Bella wasn't yelling but her voice was high with impatientance and frustration. "How can I believe you? None is this is even possible. You tell a good story but this is the twenty first century. Don't try to tell me any of this is real." .**

"**Bella, you need to trust us. Nobody here, including myself, wants to hurt you." Carlisle was stood up and was right in front of her now. He reached out to place his hand on her shoulder.**

"**Bullshit!" Bella cried, swatting his arm away. "If you really didn't mean me any harm, why was I brought here? Why did Edward call me out of my house and then kidnap me? How is that not causing me harm? I want to go home!"**

"**You can't go home," Carlisle said gravely. He eyed her cautiously.**

"**You mean you won't take me home." Bella stood up to stare at him. He was almost a foot taller than her, but she tried not to let that bother her.**

"**No. I meant what I said," Carlisle said quietly while reaching for her hand. "When Edward brought you here, all the ties you had to your home were severed. It is as if you never were."**

"**What the…." Bella couldn't even finish the words. She just collapsed into the bench. All the strength had left her body and she felt like a wet dishrag. This was too much and she didn't know what to think about anything. She couldn't think about anything.**

**Bella just sat there and didn't even notice that tears were sliding down cheeks again. They were silent and heavy with the gravity of all that was just revealed to her. **_**As if you never were.**_** This was too much.**

**She didn't notice him sit back down next to her and place his hand on her shoulder. Bella felt nothing. Carlisle pulled a silver phone out of his pants pocket and called someone. Bella didn't care who he called or what he was saying. She didn't care about anything except his words, 'As if you never existed.'**

**The phrase ran her head over and over again. She just couldn't process the meaning. She stared out into the night without really seeing anything.**

**Some time past by when, through the fog of her mind, Bella realized that Carlisle was talking again. At first she thought he was on the phone, but then she heard someone reply to him. Someone else had come out to them. She tried to focus on the words being said as the fog cleared from her head.**

"**What did you say to her?" the not-Carlisle voice asked, sounding annoyed.**

" **I told her why she couldn't go home," Carlisle said flatly.**

"**Damn it, Carlisle," the other voice said. "Didn't you think that maybe that is too much for her right now? Don't you remember what it was like?" Bella realized, then, that Edward was the person speaking.**

"**Edward." Bella managed to turn her head and squeak out his voice. Both men turned and looked at her, full of concern.**

"**Bella," Edward quickly asked, forgetting that he had asked Carlisle something only a moment before. "Are you okay?"**

"**Why?" Bella seemed to be only able to get one word out at a time. Her head hadn't cleared and that was all that she could process. **

**Edward wasn't really sure what she was referring to with her single questions. He pursed his lips and remained silent.**

**Carlisle stepped forward. "Bella, you needed to know. I know it's difficult to understand right now, but the shock and pain will pass and you'll come to know that this way is really the best."**

"**But my mom and Jessica…" Bella's voice trailed off. She just couldn't get any more words out.**

"**They're just fine and will continue to be. They do not even realize that anything has changed. They will be as they always were." Carlisle jumped in before Bella could even worry about not finishing the thought.**

"**Come on," Edward said softly, moving to her side and reaching for her hand. "Let's go inside. I think you have had enough for tonight." **

**He sent a quick glare at Carlisle and then helped Bella up.**

**He went to put his arm around her and lead the way back to the house when Carlisle stopped him.**

"**Edward. Are you up to this?" **

**He looked at him and Bella knew that he was trying to pick up on Edwards emotions. Bella realized that in the midst of Carlisle's story, she had forgotten to ask what was really going on with Edward.**

"**I am fine enough to get her inside," Edward said through clenched teeth. "Come on Bella."**

**Bella let herself be led into the house. She didn't have any fight in her. Edward steered her right up the multiple series of steps and back into the room that she had woken up in earlier. Bella wanted to tell him that she didn't want to be locked up in that room again, but didn't have the strength to argue. Edward had her in her room before she could even blink. She let herself be led and laid down in the bed like a small child.**

"**Edward, you better go. You've done enough." Bella didn't realize that Carlisle had followed them up. He was standing in the room's doorway watching Edward with concerned eyes.**

**Edward looked at Bella for a minute and then sighed. "I know you are right…but…"**

"**Go. Now. There will be time later." Carlisle moved out of the way so that Edward could exit the room. In the hallway, Edward turned and looked at Bella one last time before hanging his head and quickly moving away.**

**She thought she had caught a glimpse of anger in his eyes and she wondered who exactly he was mad at.**

**Bella turned her gaze to look up at Carlisle, and was surprised at the concern on his face.**

"**I am sorry," he said. "Edward is right about it being too soon to tell you what I did, but I do believe that it is better to get this out of the way," .**

**Bella nodded at him. She didn't know if there was anything that she could say. He had already told her that she was never going home, she couldn't, and nothing would change that. She, at least, understood that much.**

"**Are you going to tell me what is going on with Edward?" Bella asked thinking back to the look she saw on his face when he had left.**

"**Not tonight. That's not my story to tell," Carlisle said with a sigh. "You should rest now. You've had a very trying day."**

"**All I've done is sleep," Bella protested but she did feel tired. Exhausted actually.**

"**Call me when you wake up again. You know how to use the phone. All the clothes were brought here for you. Please, use them. You can call for food if you get hungry, too. You don't have to wait for any of us," Carlisle explained. "Just try to rest. We have all the time you need."**

**With that, Carlisle left the room. Bella heard the door click shut, but no sounds of a lock being engaged. She wasn't being locked up. She could leave when no one was paying attention. But Bella was too tired to get up. She mumbled to herself as she drifted off to sleep.**

"**I'll leave when I wake up."**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Resolution

Somehow, Bella knew she was dreaming, but could not force herself to wake up.

_Her dad was driving the car home after spending most of the day teaching her to drive. They were happy and content with each others company. He had even left the radio off, which was unusual for him because he loved the oldies station, but the silence was pleasing. It was a welcome change and she enjoyed the closeness that the silent drive made her feel. _

_He glanced at Bella and smiled. She had always loved his smile. His eyes sparkled and crinkled at the corner which made him look like a kid again. Bella's dad was the police chief in Forks and often his work persona, serious and demanding boss intent of halting crime, overlapped into his home life. When he smiled like that, it was easy for Bella just to see him as just her dad._

_Reaching over, he grabbed Bella's hand. He squeezed a little and she let him hold it and enjoyed being the center of his attention. Bella relaxed her head into the headrest and just enjoyed being with him. Soon, school would start again, and this meant that she would spend most of her free time doing homework or hanging out with friends, but for now, none of that mattered, it was just her and her dad._

"_So…where do you want to go for ice cream, Bella?" her dad asked._

"_Oh…I really don't care." Bella said smiling. "As long as they have chocolate." _

_Her dad laughed, "Everywhere has chocolate. Are you sure you don't want to be more adventurous? Even once?"_

"_You know I only like chocolate," Bella said pretending to be put off by the suggestion. "The other flavors taste fake. Chocolate is the only real flavor." _

_This had been an on going debate between the two of them that had started when she was only a little girl and decided that chocolate flavored ice cream was the only way to go. She knew it was a little plain, but chocolate was her favorite._

_Her dad just smiled at her, shook his head in mock frustration, and put both his hands back on the wheel. They were about twenty minutes from town, and the scenery was beautiful. It was so rare to see any lasting sun in Forks and the weather had held out for the majority of the day. The golden, shimmery rays filtered through the trees, casting green hallows around the bushy treetops. Even the road side wildflowers seemed to welcome the sun. The danced in the breeze and displayed vibrant colors. It was wonderful. It was days like this that Bella really understood why the good residents of Forks were adamant about living there. _

_There continued to be no traffic on the roads. They had driven all day without meeting another car. This was also not unusual for Forks. Most people passing through took the majors highways, and the back roads were reserved for the loggers and local residents. It appeared as if all of them had taken advantage of the beautiful day and stayed away too, enjoying time away from the daily dredge. _

_Bella thought the day couldn't get any better. She closed her eyes to enjoy the ride, and thought about how much fun it had been to actually drive a car. The simulators at school in no way replicated the movement. They were like playing video games. The simulators were booths with a steering wheel, a brake and accelerator pedal on the floor, and a TV screen that showed a computer generated road scene. No movement, sound, or wind rushing by. Bella wondered if she would be satisfied attending the driver's education class now that she had really driven a car. She guessed that she would feel a void during the hour long sessions, after knowing what the real experience was like. _

_Bella lifted her head and opened her eyes, intending to tell her dad this. This was a thought that she knew her dad would find amusing, but she quickly forgot everything that she was going to say as she glanced at the road in front of the car._

"_Dad stop!" Bella screamed frantically, and, without thinking, she grabbed the wheel of the car and cranked it toward her. She didn't know why she responded this way. _

_Immediately, the car was rapidly swaying into a fish tail movement._

"_Bella!" her dad yelled back, shocked that she actually had grabbed the steering wheel. "Let go of the wheel Bella!" _

_One of his hands reached out and slapped her arm away from the wheel._

_Bella let go immediately when she felt the burning sting of his strike. She moved her hands out in front of her, and gripped the dash. She could feel the tension in her arms as she braced herself for an impact with one of the massive trees that lined the roadside. _

_She couldn't breathe. She could only feel the car whipping back and forth over the pavement. Bella's eyes were wide with fear and her heart was beating frantically._

_The car was skidding and moving from side to side. Her dad was trying to get control but each of his movements seemed to set off another series of whips and jerks._

_After what felt like a long time, even though only seconds had went by, her dad got control of the car and eased it into a abrupt stop. Bella felt her body jolt when the vehicle movement ended. Glancing around, she saw that the car was parked sideways in the middle of the road. Instead of moving it, her dad just slammed the gear shift into park and turned to glare at her._

"_Are you okay, Bells?" he asked after a moment, his eyes softening. Bella could hear him breathing heavily. The spin had shaken him, too. His face was pale and strained looking and there was a glaze of sweat along his brow. It upset her to see him so rattled. Usually he had so much control, and Bella realized that this could have ended really badly._

"_Yeah." Bella squeaked out._

"_Why did you do that?" he asked more harshly. He readjusted his body so that he was facing Bella._

"_You were going to hit him," Bella responded defensively. "Didn't you see him in the road?"_

_She looked at him and hoped that the tone in his voice didn't mean that she was in serious trouble. Not that she had never been grounded before, but she really didn't want to be on house arrest and her dad looked really mad. He looked like he wanted to rip her head off._

"_Bella, what are you talking about?" Her dad's voice was higher and sounded like he was straining to control his temper. "There was no body in the road." _

_Bella didn't answer him. She turned her head to look at where she had seen the man. She didn't see anything, but thought he had looked like he had been crossing the road. Maybe he had ran when the car skidded._

"_Dad, I saw him," Bella pointed to the area behind them where the man had been. "He was crossing over there." _

"_There was no one there," her dad said angrily through clutched teeth. _

_Bella undid her seatbelt, opened her door, intending to walk back and take a better look to see if the man was still around. That would get her out of the car, away from her dad, whose veins were starting to pop out on this forehead and face was turning an unattractive shade of purple from the fury building. She knew he needed a minute to calm down._

"_Where are you going?" Bella could still hear the pending rage in his voice and cringed a little. He had seldom had to use that tone with her and she felt a moment of panic about what kind of punishment ideas were brewing in his mind._

"_I'm going to take another look." She swung her legs out of the car. She avoided looking at him, because she knew that he would disapprove and she didn't want to see his expression._

_She paused for a moment with one leg resting on the blacktop if the road. She was shakier than she thought. She also wondered if getting out of the car would push him over the threshold of sanity. _

_Setting her mind, she pulled herself out of the car, and then she heard the horn. It was not a car horn, it was the long drone of a semi horn. She looked around quickly and saw that the car was stopped on the crest of a hill, and the semi did not have enough time to adequately slow down before slamming into the car._

_Bella looked frantically at her dad. He had turned his body, and was also watching the on coming vehicle with a look of absolute horror on his face.. Time seemed to stop and all of her muscles froze._

"_Shit," dad swore, and turned to her and screamed. "Bella, get out of the way! Run!"._

_Bella stood there frozen as the semi barreled closer. She did not have to be a math genius to realize that neither of them would be able to get out of the way fast enough. She took a deep breath and accepted that this was going to be the end. She knew that she was going to die, which didn't upset her like it should. What did upset her, was that this was all her fault and she stared at her dad and tried to convey everything that she regretted with her eyes. She had grabbed the steering wheel and had had caused the car to go out of control; she was the reason that her dad still had the car in park in the middle of the road in the direct path of the biggest semi that she had ever seen. _

_Bella held her breath and closed her eyes to wait for the end._

_She didn't have to wait long. She felt the impact immediately, but then quickly realized, that it did not come from the right direction. She felt her body moving, and then felt the ground as she slammed into it. Something hit her on her forehead, but she didn't register how it had happened. _

_She heard the crunch and shattering of glass, brakes that squealed and groaned, and the sound of metal being forcibly scraped against unyielding blacktop. She quickly tried to scramble away, not completely sure where she was in relation to the horrible sounds, but couldn't move. _

_And then, there was silence_

_Bella forced her eyes open and struggled to her feet and saw that she was on the side of the road. She gasped, brought her fist to her mouth, and pressed it to her mouth as a strangled scream escaped from her throat. In front of her, the semi and her dad's police cruiser were tangled into an intimate embrace. _

_All around, pieces of metal and millions of shards of glass decorated the scarred blacktop. The semi's trailer was laying on its side and boxes had falling from it and were littering the roadway as well. _

_Bella looked toward the metal mess of the two vehicles and saw that the car was gone, flattened under the mass of the semi._

_She knew that she screamed again. In the back of her mind she heard the sounds as her legs gave out, and her body hit the ground for a second time._

Bella sat up in bed with a jolt. She was covered in sweat, her heart was pounding, and knew it was a dream of the accident that had killed her dad two years ago. It was only a memory, in the past, but she couldn't make the feelings of loss and despair go away. She reached up to her forehead and felt the small scar. It was still there and would always be.

She kicked the blankets off and slid off the bed. She padded over to the bathroom and went to the sink to run cold water. She splashed water over her face several times and rubbed the back of her neck. Bella couldn't stop shaking. The next thing she knew, she was perched on her knees in front of the toilet vomiting into the porcelain.

After her stomach was emptied, Bella just sat there and rested her cheek on her hand. She didn't have the strength to get up.

She wondered why all of this had happened to her. First her dad was killed in the accident, which was her fault because she thought she had seen some guy in the road, and, now, she was embracing a toilet, in a strange house, after being told that her remaining family no longer knew she existed. She thought maybe she was dead, and this was hell, but couldn't think of anything that she had ever done to deserve this level of torture. She figured that she must have done something. Maybe it was payback for getting her dad killed.

Bella didn't know how long she laid there when she heard the bedroom door slowly open.

"Bella?" It was Alice.

Bella groaned and wondered why she was here now. She didn't want an audience at this moment.

"Go away," Bella moaned into the toilet.

Bella could here the foot steps enter the room and move closer to the bathroom door.

"Oh my god!" Alice exclaimed, obviously shocked to find her on the bathroom floor. "Bella, what's wrong?" She seemed genuinely concerned.

Bella couldn't bring herself to answer her. She just lifted her arm and moved it in a gesture intended to send her away. She realized that it was a pathetic attempt and must have made her look even more tortured.

"I'm calling Carlisle," Alice stated firmly, and started to head for the phone.

Just as she had the receiver picked up, Bella managed to drag herself up to sit on the toilet.

"No." Bella croaked weakly. "Please don't call him. I'm okay."

She wasn't sure how convincing she was, or how okay, but Alice put the phone down without summoning anyone.

Alice came back into the bathroom at just gaped at her for a moment. Bella was sure that she looked like hell, but there was nothing that she could do about that right now.

"You want to talk about it?" Alice said soothingly. "Maybe I can help,"

She came all the way in, gracefully slid to the floor, and leaned against the far wall.

"I had a bad dream," Bella said flatly. "There's nothing you can do."

She could feel some of her strength returning and tried to sit up a little straighter. She rubbed her face to try to bring some feeling back and then scooted over to the wall, opposite of Alice, and leaned her head back against it.

"You can tell me about it," Alice said quietly. "That sometimes helps,"

She looked almost fragile sitting on the floor. Bella was surprised that she didn't mind being there with her designer clothes, smiled slightly at the thought and then immediately thought, _You really are going crazy._ After all that had happened, she was worried about dirtying expensive clothes by sitting on a bathroom floor.

Alice must have taken the smile the wrong way because she frowned.

"Really, I will listen if it helps."

Bella realized that she did not have the same ability as Carlisle, knowing most of what was going through her mind, and thought that she was laughing at her.

"He's dead," Bella stated a little too factually. She hadn't really intended to talk to Alice about it but the words came before she could stop them.

"Who?" Alice asked wide eyed. "Did you just have a vision of this?"

This idea that Bella might have had a vision seemed to make Alice excited.

"You should tell Carlisle about this. He is always looking for others who share gifts."

"What?" Bella exclaimed, a little confused. "No. That's not what I meant,"

Bella finally processed what Alice had said. "Gifts. What do mean 'gifts'?"

Alice looked guilty and bowed her head. "I really shouldn't have said that. We have a rule about talking about that stuff with fledglings. Some think that it will plant ideas."

"Fledgling?" Now Bella was really confused. "What is a fledgling?"

"Didn't Carlisle tell you?" Alice seemed to be talking to herself more than to Bella. "I thought he was going to."

"No, he never said anything about fledglings," Bella confirmed. She was glad for the subject change. "What is that?"

She wondered if maybe Alice would be willing to give her some answers.

"You need to talk to Carlisle about that. It is not my place." Bella could see that Alice was set on this. "So, tell me, what happened? The dream?"

Bella sighed, her respite was over. For a moment she had forgotten about the dream. It was not like she would ever really forget, but there were always moments of distractions, and she realized that that moment was now gone.

"My dad was in a car accident two years ago," Bella stated dryly. "I was there ,but survived, obviously. I was dreaming about it."

Bella wasn't going to give any details. She knew that would be too difficult for her.

"Ahh, yes," Alice said solemnly. "I know about that."

"You do?" Bella was shocked by Alice's response. She didn't know how she would know anything about her or her past.

"Yeah. We all do," Alice explained like this was all supposed to make sense to Bella. "Edward got into some trouble for that, but he said he knew that you could see him and thought it would have been a waste."

"Huh?" Bella couldn't follow her. She didn't know what Edward had to do with her father getting killed, and what would have been a waste. Her head was starting to hurt thinking about all of this.

Alice looked at her thoughtfully. "Interesting…you don't remember, do you? Edward said that you wouldn't, but…I don't know…I guess I thought he was just saying that because he was trying to justify himself, and stay out of trouble."

Bella just stared at her dumb founded. She was completely lost. She was trying to figure out what Alice was saying and her mind was sluggish, not quite keeping up.

"Ummmm…I think I am going to take a shower." Bella was confused and needed a few minutes to absorb what Alice had said to sort it out.

"Yes. Of course you do." Alice popped up just a gracefully as she had sat down and almost skipped out of the bathroom. "If you need me, call."

Bella heard the bedroom door open and close. After a few seconds, Bella realized that she was alone again.

Bella shook her head as she forced herself to stand. Even though she was just trying to get some alone time, she realized that a shower did sound good. She didn't know how long she had slept, but she could feel the stickiness of sweat on her body from the dream.

She went to the sink first and rinsed her mouth out several times with cold water. She then walked into the bedroom, grabbed a clean set of clothes from the dresser, and returned to the bathroom.

The hot shower did seem to help. She could feel some of the tension leaving her body and the steam seemed to clear her head. She used the time under the gentle spray to analyze everything that had been said by Carlisle and Alice, but her brain seemed to have a mental block. It was just too much right now. Bella told herself that she would just figure it out later. It was not as if she was leaving anytime soon.

She recalled the thoughts that she had before falling asleep. She had had the desire to escape. Bella admitted to herself, that after talking to Alice, she needed to stay to figure out what was going on. She thought of her mom and sister, and missed them, but since she was being honest, she knew that they would be okay. They always were.

Bella stepped out of the shower with a new resolve. She was going to find out what was really going on. She dried herself quickly and put on the clean clothes. After searching the bathroom, she found a hidden hamper to throw her dirty articles into. She also managed to find a brush and a couple of hair accessories. She brushed out her hair and pulled it back into a pony tail still wet.

Bella knew what she was going to do. She went straight to the chair next to the phone, a brief image of Alice sitting here reading flew through her mind, and Bella was surprised at how much had changed already and somehow knew that the changes were just beginning.

She shivered a little at this thought. It was a strange premonition and a strange feeling.

Bella picked up the phone and when the operator answered she simply asked to have Carlisle sent up. She hung up the phone and made herself comfortable in the chair. She didn't have to wait long when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Bella was surprised at how calm she sounded. She almost didn't recognize her own voice.

"Bella," Carlisle said stepped in. "You look rested. Alice mentioned that you had had a bad dream."

"Yeah. Yeah." Bella wave her hand and dismissed that topic. It was not what she wanted to talk to him about. "Please, sit down."

Bella motioned to another chair and Carlisle raised one eyebrow. He was clearly surprised by her attitude change and trying to read her.

Bella had anticipated this and was consciously trying to keep her mind blank.

"Did you need to talk to me about something?" he asked with suspicion.

"Nope," Bella said and smiled slyly. "You're going to finish your story."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six**_

_**Answers**_

"_**Are you sure that you are ready for the rest?" Carlisle asked looking her over carefully. He was clearly concerned with Bella's attitude change. He must have picked up her resolve, and was trying to figure out the reason for her shift, and since Bella was trying not to think of anything, he was having difficulty deciphering her thoughts.**_

_**Bella's voice was calm and steady as she responded, "You said that I'd understand if you told me your story. I need to understand."**_

_**Carlisle nodded slowly and looked as if he was reflecting on her answer, but didn't say anything.**_

"_**So, are you going to finish your story?" Bella asked, sounding a little impatient.**_

"_**Of course," Carlisle said and he smiled gloriously. "But why don't we order up some food. I don't want hunger distracting you or interrupting me."**_

"_**Geesh. Is that all you people think about here?" Bella asked rolling her eyes. "Or are you just trying to fatten me up? You know, there is an old story about a witch that fattened up two children with sweets with the intent of eating them." **_

_**Bella made sure that she sounded playful but even as she did this, she knew somehow that this could always be a possibility.**_

_**Carlisle laughed. It was such a lovely sound.**_

"_**Bella. I see that you're going to be a lot of fun. I look forward to seeing how you turn out." He was still smiling as he said this.**_

"_**I hope you don't mean 'turn out' like a casserole," she said frowning slightly, but keeping her voice playful.**_

"_**Not at all. I promise you. I have no intentions of eating you." Carlisle went on to explain seriously. "I just thought if we had food delivered now, you could eat whenever you did get hungry and I would not have to stop in the middle of my tale again."**_

"_**Oh, I suppose that would be okay," Bella said. She was now feeling a little embarrassed about the cannibalism reference and how she thought that it might be closer to the truth than she knew.**_

"_**Don't worry about it. I find your humor endearing," Carlisle said with a smile.**_

_**Bella rolled her eyes. She waited patiently for Carlisle to pick up the phone and place an order.**_

"_**So, what are you feeding me?" Bella was only half interested. She really couldn't even think of food now.**_

"_**Nothing too scary. I am just having Robert bring up a fruit platter, crackers and cheese," Carlisle said.**_

_**Bella was glad that it wasn't a meal. She really wasn't hungry.**_

_**Carlisle relaxed into the chair and looked at her thoughtfully. His stare made her a little uncomfortable.**_

"_**What?" Bella asked.**_

"_**Nothing," he replied. "I am just trying to figure something out." **_

"_**And?" Bella didn't have the patience for half answers. She got the distinct impression that he was stalling, as if he had reconsidered telling her the rest of his story.**_

"_**I don't know. My gut tells me that there is something there, but I can't pick it up." Carlisle scratched his head and looked at her thoughtfully. "Usually, I can sense these things, but with you, I can't quite get to it."**_

_**Bella cocked her head and shrugged. She had no idea of what he was talking about. She filed his comments away in the back of her mind, with a bunch of others, to ask about later. She wanted him to finish his story first, and Bella didn't want to steer him to another subject. **_

_**A knock at the door announced the arrival of the food order. Bella jumped up and opened the door. The same old man, who Bella assumed was Robert, pushed the cart in. The food came just as the other meals had, covered with gleaming silver tops.**_

_**Bella thanked Robert as he left the room and softly closed the door. She returned to the chair and looked expectantly a Carlisle.**_

"_**Ready now?" she asked and he sighed and nodded before launching in where he had left off before.**_

"_**I stayed with Jasper for a few days before I realized that he was not a normal man. To begin with, I never saw him sleep. At first I assumed that he slept when I did, just staying awake longer and waking earlier, but I discovered that this was not the case. He really**_** never slept."**

"**He took very good care of me, though, and provided everything that I needed. I hadn't told him about what had led to him finding me on the road and he didn't ask, for which I was glad. I wasn't ready to face what had happened. I think that I was a little in denial about the entire situation. Jasper just seemed like a lonely man and I was happy to offer some companionship."**

" **He would leave daily and, when he was gone, I thought of Rosalie and felt her loss. In my mind, I told myself that she was dead. I begged Jasper to allow me to go with him, but he refused and I began to feel like a prisoner."**

"**I was upset, so I decided to follow him the next time he left. I did not want to be a burden, but I couldn't stand to be left alone with my thoughts. I was driving myself crazy. The next day I prepared myself to stalk after him. He had packed a small bag when he thought I was still sleeping, and left through the front door. I waited for a minute and got up to follow him. When I walked outside, he was already gone. I didn't understand how that could be and kept looking around, expecting to see him walking down the tree lined trail that led toward town."**

"**I never really explained where I was, did I?" Carlisle asked Bella.**

"**No," she answered. "I …ah…we kind of distracted before."**

**Remembering her reaction to the story before, Bella blushed. But Carlisle didn't notice, or at least he didn't acknowledge her reaction, and went on with the tale.**

"**The cabin sat on the edge of a large wheat field. You could see for miles and he was no where around. The only marking feature was the large willow tree nestled twenty yards away. There was and old trail that led away. Someone had planted trees along it. I assumed that it led to town. I had never actually been down it and couldn't remember much about how I had originally been brought there."**

**Bella nodded in understanding. She felt the same thing about being here now. In fact, she was starting to see the similarities between Carlisle's tale and what was happening to her. Realizing this, she assumed that was part of the reason he was telling her all of this. In a strange way, he was telling her why she was here with them.**

**Carlisle got her thoughts, nodded at her and smiled reassuringly before continuing.**

"**I was confused, as you can obviously imagine, but I was also more than a little angry. I knew, by this time, that he did not sleep, and now it appeared that he disappeared into thin air. I went and sat against the tree and decided to wait for him. I was going to confront him and make him tell me what was going on."**

"**I sat against that tree for hours. I watched the sun move across the sky, and by the time it had almost made the full journey, he returned."**

"**At first, I didn't know what was going on. My back was resting against the tree, and I was dozing. I felt a slight shaking and sat up. I had been sitting so long that I thought that my muscles were rebelling against the position and twitching, but as I twisted to try to stretch, I noticed that the hanging willow branches had the same vibration shuttering them into movement."**

"**I jumped up and turned to face the tree. I don't know how, but I knew that the tree was the source of the vibrations. I took a few steps back, a little unhinged, and watched in amazement as a soft, white glow started in the thickest part of the trunk. I couldn't pull my eyes away, but I was frightened. I had never seen or heard of anything like this happening before, and I didn't know what was going on."**

"**The glow on the trunk grew larger and the shape morphed into a human form. Then the form began to have features. Familiar features. I squinted my eyes and watched as Jasper step through the light. As soon as both of his feet were on the ground, the light was gone, so quickly, that if I had blinked, I wouldn't have seen it disappear."**

**Bella said nothing but she felt her lower jaw drop as Carlisle described this.**

"**If I had not stood there and watched this happen, I would never have believed it was possible. Jasper looked at me and then shook his head disapprovingly, but all he said was 'Come on. Let's go talk'. I couldn't move though. I just stood there, staring at the tree. My mind processed his command, but my body would not work. Jasper shook his head again, muttered something I couldn't understand and walked over to me. I felt the stinging slap across my face when he hit me, and the pain seemed to shock me back into reality. Jasper just smiled at me and told me to 'Come on'."**

"**Of course, I followed him back into the cabin. Where else was I going to go? Jasper pulled out a chair and pushed me into it. I sat and looked at him, frightened. He stared at for a couple of seconds and then asked, 'Are you sure you really want to know? You can't go back from here.' I thought about that for a second. My first, and only thought, was of Rosalie and I realized that I had nothing to go back to. Even though she existed, everything would remind her of me and I wanted her to be dead. After a few minutes, I told him 'I don't have anything to go back to." Jasper nodded and sat down next to me."**

**Carlisle stopped speaking and studied Bella for a moment. Her eyes were fixated on him. She wasn't sure why he didn't go on and she looked up at him expectantly.**

"**Bella, are you sure you want to know? You can't go back from here." he said to her in all seriousness. He repeated the questions to her that had been posed to him so many years ago.**

**She continued to look at him. Even though he had just told her, she could feel it. This was the point of no return. If she went forward now, there was no way to return, ever.**

**She thought about her life and wondered where she had been going. Like Carlisle, after her dad's death, she realized that she had never really moved on. She had died with him, except she had been stuck in the world. She tried to think of anything to go back to. She thought of her mom and of Jessica. Carlisle had said that it was **_**as if she never was, **_**but as Bella reflected on this, she admitted that she **_**hadn't been **_**even before that. She hadn't been part of life for awhile now. That was why she stopped caring about school and had never applied to any colleges. Somehow, she had known, even then, that her life had ended.**

**She also knew that was is why the house she lived in never felt like where she wanted to be. The other occupants were moving forward. They had been trying, in their individual way, to keep going. Bella hadn't. She had been in constant turmoil, caught in the events of her dad's death, never really moving forward. She had been fighting the momentum of life around her, and had been losing the battle. Life had been devouring her.**

**This revelation was tremendous for Bella. She didn't feel like crying for the first time since she had been taken here. She, surprisingly, felt relieved. The burden was lifted off of her shoulders as she accepted what was going on. She was relieved that she now knew that she was never going back, and she wanted this.**

**Bella looked at Carlisle. He had remained silent as she sorted out he mental tirade, even though Bella was sure that he had picked up most of it. His expression was forcedly blank and Bella knew that he was purposely trying not betray his knowledge.**

"**I don't have anything to go back to either." she said softly. She kept her gaze steady and her voice even. The decision was made. She couldn't go back.**

**Carlisle nodded and reached to grab her hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. He knew what this decision had cost her. He remembered what it had cost him.**

**He released her hand after a second, and went on with his story.**

"**We are immortals, Bella. Our given name is Amaranthines, but the term immortals suits just as well. Our kind have existed since the beginning of time. We don't remember where our race started. Some say that we are the children the gods. We are immune from illness and age but we can be killed. The last century has been witness to the loss of more immortals than ever in history and we are on the brink of extinction. The few remaining live as we do, as families, hidden and protected from our enemies."**

"**We are cursed to be hidden form the world. We move without being seen by mortals. At one time, mortals knew of our existence, but they grew jealous and sought ways to end our lives. We had always protected them, and had used our gifts to make their lives better, but they repaid us by turning on us and, in their pursuit to have all that we had, created a hybrid that was worse than they could imagine. The mortals couldn't control them and they ended up taking the lives of humans and Amaranthines alike. In our last real service to the mortals, we used our powers to take sight away from them. They can no longer see us. We did this to protect them from becoming targets of their own creation. The saying 'Ignorance is Bliss' is very true in this application."**

"**We thought that we had succeeded. For centuries, only a few hybrids were seen or heard from, and both mortals and immortals lived in separate peace. Mortals who knew us died, and we silently watched as the histories grew into myths and legends, believed by no one."**

"**A little over a century ago, the hybrids returned in full force. They had discovered their powers and were determined to take over. They realized that mortals were not a threat to them, they were a food source, and focused their attention on exterminating us. We are at a disadvantage against them. We know how to individually destroy them, but cannot make a big enough impact. They are able to create new hybrids easily and repopulate their losses. We do not have this ability. Amaranthines are born, not created, and births are rare and dangerous for our women."**

"**Every now and then, we find a fledgling. A human born child with the ability to choose immortality. When these fledglings become immortal, they are powerful and often have enormous skills and gifts. But even fledglings are rare, and they are targets of the hybrids. The hybrids fear the fledglings more than anything, though no one really knows why."**

"**There have only been a handful of fledglings. They are hard to find. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, and we are not even really sure how a fledgling comes to be, so we have no way of identifying them easily. They begin life as a mortal and then, some how, they gain the ability to become immortal. We can identify them because their vision returns several years before the ability to make the change occurs. They begin to see us. We just know that every now and then, we stumble upon one and, when we do, we help them through the transition, if they choose to make it. They are highly respected because of their gifts. The one's that choose to remain mortal are kept and protected. Often working in the homes of immortals until the end of their lives."**

"**Robert?" Bella asked completely awed by this new information.**

"**Yes. Robert chose not to make the transition. He is beloved by all of us, and although we have offered to set him up in his own place, he has chosen to remain working in our home," Carlisle explained. She could hear the affection for the man in his voice.**

**Bella was quiet as she digested what Carlisle was telling her. She knew that she was a fledgling, but was not ready to confirm this and move forward. **

**Carlisle knew Bella's thoughts and did not push the issue. Instead, he decided to continue her education.**

**He walked to the window and pulled the heavy curtains open. It was clear and sunny outside. He turned toward Bella and motioned for her to join him.**

**Bella got up and walked to the window. She noticed that her body felt stiff and sore. She reached him and he grabbed her hand in his. His grip comforted her.**

"**Do you see that tree? Do you know what it is?" he asked and pointed to the tree that he had begun his story under.**

**Bella nodded, "It's a willow."**

"**Yes. They are joined by portals that we can use to travel over great distances. That is how you journeyed here and how Jasper took me to his cabin. The journey is difficult for mortals, and takes them several days to recover from. This is because, every time a mortal travels through the portals, it ages them."**

**Bella's eyes shot up and she gasped. She pulled her hand out of his and wrapped her arms around herself.**

"**What?" she choked, not sure if she had correctly heard what he had said.**

"**You didn't notice, did you? I wasn't sure if you would and, frankly, I am glad that you didn't. I wanted to have a chance to tell you all of this before you found out," Carlisle said soothingly, "You have ages about four years, Bella. Hardly noticeable at your age, unless you know what to look for."**

**Bella ran to the bathroom door and threw it open. She rushed to the marble sink to stare at her reflection. Carlisle was right, she hadn't noticed. She had been so concerned about everything else going on, that she hadn't really looked at herself since she had been brought here. Twenty-three years old. Physically, that is about what she was now based on what she had been told. **

**Bella gazed at herself in the mirror. There really wasn't a lot of change. Some of the fullness had left her face, her hair was several inches longer, and she wondered how she had missed that. She stared at herself for a few more minutes and agreed with Carlisle, it was hardly noticeable but it was still a shock.**

**She rubbed her arms over her face a few times and forced herself to turn away and not think about it. Slowly, she made the effort to relax her face, turn around, and walk back into the bedroom.**

"**You see, hardly noticeable." Carlisle voice was understanding.**

**Bella just nodded and returned to his side determined not to let herself worked up about the change.**

"**We can use the portals in any willow tree. We just focus on where we want to go, and then we are taken there. Most immortals travel this way. There are only a few that prefer the more conventional methods."**

**Bella stared out the window into the sunlit hills. Carlisle looked at her and said no more. It took a few moments to realize that Carlisle wasn't speaking anymore. When she did, she looked up at him and into his eyes. **

**His expression was soft and understanding. He didn't say anything more, but Bella knew that he understood what she was experiencing.**

**Bella sighed and realized that she was going to have to open the next topic. She had wanted to delay it, but knew that is was inevitable. She had to ask and hear the answer said out loud.**

"**I'm a fledgling, aren't I?" she said evenly. The question hung in the air. She dropped her eyes and waited for Carlisle's response.**

"**Yes," he said taking a deep breath in before continuing. "Edward crossed your path a couple of years back and alerted us of your presence. We have been watching you since then, waiting for the best time to approach you." **

**Bella was surprised that they had known, and had been watching her, for so long. **

"**You said, 'Edward crossed my path.' How did that happen?" She asked curiously and for immediately had the feeling that more was about to be hurled at her that she wasn't ready for.**

**Carlisle sighed and Bella got the distinct impression that she was more than correct in her prediction.**

"**We enjoy being out, and the freedom to go anywhere we want. Remember, the great majority of mortals cannot see us, so we are quite free to roam wherever we please. Edward realized you could see him the day your father was killed."**

_**What? **_**Bella's mind spun. She knew, suddenly, why Edward had looked familiar. Alice had hinted at it earlier when she said that they all new about the accident that killed her father. It all came flooding back to her.**

"**I saw Edward crossing the road," Bella murmured to herself. Then she grew angry. "My dad died because of him."**

"**And you are alive because of him," Carlisle quickly countered. He must have been able to feel her anger brewing and tried to diffuse the situation. "Edward realized what you were and that your life was on the line. He made an immediate decision to pull you out of the way. Had he not been there, you would have shared your father's fate."**

"**No," she cried. "I should have died."**

**Carlisle moved close to her and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug.**

"**You were saved for a reason. Your father would have wanted you to see this through," he said gently to comfort her.**

**Bella rested her head on his shoulder and, for a second time, bawled on him.**

"**Don't say anything about what my dad would have wanted. You know nothing about him." The words were intended to sound harsh, but instead, she sounded defeated.**

**Carlisle picked Bella up and moved to sit in one of the chairs. She hardly noticed the movement and continued crying. She cried for awhile, letting all of the despair and misery leave her. She thought about how answering some questions just raised more, and she wondered if it would ever end.**

"**It never really ends, Bella dear." Carlisle whispered, "**_**You**_** just get stronger."**

**She nodded into his shoulder. She finished calming herself down by taking a few deep breaths, and, then, lifted her head. Ashamed for crying on him again, she quickly got up and moved to sit in one of the vacant chairs facing him.**

**Bella rubbed her eyes and dried the remaining wetness. She was sure that her eyes were red and swollen, but didn't care how she looked a the moment. She thought quickly and blurted out the first question that came to her mind to change the subject.**

"**Carlisle." Bella voice was solemn, "What is the transition to become immortal?"**

"**It is a personal surrender to your fate, and can be extremely difficult. That is all I can tell you for now. If you choose to accept that path, I will help you, but the decision must be made first," he replied, barely answering her question. He seemed a little confused at the sudden question about transitions.**

**Bella just nodded. None of what he had said made sense but it was the only explanation she was going to get. **

"**So what now?" she asked tiredly. **

"**This is your home now. You are free to it and to come and go. I would not advise leaving the grounds, though. We can only protect you from the hybrids while you are here," he said.**

"**What exactly is a 'hybrid'? I mean, how would I know one?" Bella asked quietly. She had realized that Carlisle had not really elaborated on this species and only said that they were created to destroy the immortals.**

"**Vampires. That is the common name for them," he said. "They are mortal made immortal creatures. But they are unnatural, and in order to continue their existence, they must steal the lives of others through blood."**

"**That is what Rosalie is now," Bella stated quickly without thinking, and then looked up, afraid that she had brought up bad memories for Carlisle.**

"**Was," he said simply. All expression had left his face.**

"**Was?" she repeated. Carlisle's reaction hade brought a little more life to her voice and peaked her interest again.**

**Carlisle nodded his head once. "I killed her years back, after she had tried to attacked Edward."**

**Bella didn't say anything. She couldn't. She realized how hard that must have been for Carlisle to have to kill his beloved sister, and was sorry she had asked.**

"**No. My sister died many, many years ago," he responded to her thoughts. "What I killed was a monster, not Rosalie."**

**They sat quietly for a while, each absorbed in their own thoughts. **

**A soft knock on the door broke the thick silence. Without waiting for a response, the door opened and Alice waltzed in. She looked from Carlisle to Bella, before speaking, and Bella saw the puzzled expression on her face as she did.**

"**Carlisle, we need you to come down," she said softly. Her eyes still held a strange look as she threw a question stare at Carlisle.**

**Carlisle looked at her, and Bella wondered he Alice was having some sort of mental conversation with him.**

"**I'll be right there," he said immediately and a little sharply.**

**Alice nodded, threw Bella a quick, but unsure, smile and left the room.**

"**Something has come up that needs my attention," Carlisle explained, sounding official. "Feel free for explore the house. I'll seek you again when I have this under control. I'm sure you'll have more questions then."**

**Bella nodded and silently watched Carlisle quickly leave the room.**

**She remained in the chair. She thought back over everything that he had told her.**

"**What am I going to do about all of this?" she said out loud to no one in particular.**

**She leaned her head back and attempted to figure that out.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Reflections

Bella didn't notice the time slipping by as she sat silently thinking about everything that Carlisle had told her. Even though the stories sounded more like fairy tales than life, a feeling her told her that all of it was true and this acceptance of his tales was startling to her. Bella normally didn't give herself over to fantasies and wishful thinking, but she believed him entirely.

_What she was going to do with all of this? _She thought to herself. She knew her options were relatively limited; join them as an equal or stay with them as an employee.

Bella reprimanded herself for not feeling more anger towards them. The immortals, ultimately, had caused her dad to die, kidnapped her from everything she had known, and forced her into this unknown existence with limited choices. She wanted to be furious, she wanted to yell, scream, cry and bang her fists into the wall like a spoiled child. But she couldn't, the emotion just wasn't there. She thought that maybe, in light of all that she had been through since being brought here, she was suppressing her ability to feel anything too strongly. Maybe she was in shock.

She spent some time wondering what would have happened if she had never seen Edward on the road that day, if she had just let her dad keep driving, and let Edward worry about getting out of the way. They would never have known she existed and her dad would still be alive. Her life would have been normal. She thought about all the plans she had before his death, and all of them seemed silly to her now. She was changed and could never go back, even in her imagination.

She knew that thinking of the what ifs was just going to drive her straight to a mental institution. Nothing could be changed, she just had to deal with what was. She was a fledgling, some decisions had to made, and she did not even fully understand these choices or what they meant.

Carlisle had told her that he would help her if she decided to go through the transition, but Bella wondered how she was going to make that decision without knowing more.

Bella sighed heavily and got out of the chair. Sitting there, thinking, was not helping her sanity, and she felt the need to move around. She made a split decision that she would explore the house, as Carlisle said she could.

She walked to the door and slowly opened it. Even though she was told that she wasn't a prisoner, Bella was still cautious. Part of her expected to see an armed guard waiting for her to try to escape on the other side of the door, or at least Alice.

No one was there, and it was quite. Bella decided to walk down to the main floor and work her way up. Walking down the stairs, she took time to admire the numerous pieces of art hanging on the walls.

They were split between two themes. Half of them were portraits of beautiful people in ornate dress from every era. The women in the paintings were dripping with huge gemstones that, even though they were painted, seem to shine and glitter as if real. The other portraits were of landscapes that displayed dream like scenes. Bella wondered if these were actual place and thought that it would be wonderful to visit and see these scenes for herself.

When she finally got to the first floor, she heard muffled voices coming from the room Alice had taken her into earlier. The one which Bella assumed was Carlisle's office. She abandoned her plans of exploring the house and walked over to stand beside the door. She wasn't intending on entering, or even eavesdropping, but as she moved closer, the conversation made her stop and listen.

"Edward, you cannot go," Carlisle was saying. "It's too dangerous right now." He sounded frustrated and impatient.

"They were watching the house, Carlisle. They knew what she is and that I was there to take her. It is only a matter of time before this gets out of hand." Edward sounded angry and tense. His words were almost yelling and Bella was surprised at the disrespectful tone he used.

"You told me that already, but they will not be able to find us." Carlisle was trying to calmly reason with him. "You are going to have to be patient and wait until a decision is made."

"That's exactly why our people are dying, Carlisle." Bella could hear the frustration in his voice. "We sit and wait. How long can this continue? We have to make a stand."

"We'll figure it out," Carlisle said, sounding like something had distracted him. Bella got the distinct feeling that this was not a new argument between them, but one that was being replayed with the hope of a new outcome.

"But…" Edward stopped before he said anymore, and there was silence.

Bella here the sound of a chair moving and footsteps. Before she realized what had happened, the door swung open and Carlisle was standing directly in front of her. She glanced and saw that Edward was seated in one of the chairs, staring at her from his position.

"Bella. You shouldn't be here," he asked kindly. The tone a complete opposite of the one he has been using with Edward. "Did you need something?"

"Ahh, No. I was just…ummm…walking by," she stammered and then felt her cheeks blaze red with embarrassment. She quickly realized that lying to Carlisle, the man who could pick up your thoughts, was probably not a good idea.

"Oh hell, Carlisle, you may as well let her join us. She needs to know what is going on." Edward sounded very annoyed and Bella flinched a little at his words even though they were not malicious.

She had not expected to be invited to join the conversation, especially by Edward, who was obviously not in the best of moods. She didn't move.

Carlisle turned to Edward. "Do you know what she's had to process already today? Do you really think she needs anymore right now?"

"I don't think she needs any of it," Edward responded sassily. "But that is not the point. The point is that she'll find out one way or another, and we may as well get it out."

Carlisle and Edward stared at each other for a moment, and she figured that there was probably some form of private conversation occurring between them. Bella didn't know what to think and didn't want to be in the middle of an argument.

After a very long moment, Carlisle sighed, nodded to Edward and then turned back to face her.

"Why don't you come in Bella?" he bowed slightly at the invitation.

Bella raised her eyes to Carlisle's face to determine if the invitation was a valid one and if she should accept it. His eyes were warm and welcoming, so she entered the room and went directly to one of the chairs furthest from Edward. He still appeared to be temperamental, and his mood made her nervous.

She heard Carlisle close the door, and before he sat down, she sneaked another glance at Edward, who was sitting to her left. The look was a mistake, he was staring at her with an expression she did not recognize, and it made her even more uncomfortable.

Butterflies leapt in her stomach and she couldn't move or break the eye contact. Everything else disappeared, and there was only Edward. She held her breath. He was simply dressed in a pair of denim pants and a fitted white t-shirt, but she was stunned by the sight of him.

She tried to remind herself that this person was the _real_ reason that her dad was dead, and that he had brought her here and now she was never going to be with her mom or sister again. She told herself that she didn't want anything to do with him. He had destroyed her life in a way that she would never get over and she was not going to forget about it.

She told herself this over and over, but it didn't help. She still felt something and she wasn't even sure what that something was, but it burned through her veins like a rapid poison before anyone could stop it.

"Ahem." Bella jumped to attention when Carlisle cleared his throat. She looked at him and blushed deep red at the knowing look on his face. "Well, Edward, you championed for her to come in here. You can deal the explanations."

"Fine," Edward said with no change in expression. Bella turned toward him, but didn't really look at him. She didn't want, or need, another embarrassing display of her lack of emotional control.

He addressed her specifically with a sneer, "Our newest fledgling, has Carlisle explained everything to you?"

Bella glanced at Carlisle, looking for an answer. She wasn't sure if he had, but Carlisle nodded and Bella realized that she at least knew enough to follow what Edward was going to tell her.

"Yes," she replied softly.

"Good," he said. "That makes this easier. I don't have time for your ignorance right now. To make the long story short. Some hybrids know that I took you. They were near by the night…ahh…you joined us."

This startled Bella. "You mean there are vampires in Forks?"

Edward gave her a disgusted and impatient look. "There are vampires everywhere."

"Edward," Carlisle said with a warning tone.

He immediately tried softened his expression. "Yes. They were the night that I came to get you. They somehow found out about you and were casing the area. That is part of the reason that I took you then. I had to get you to us before they made contact."

"But my mom and sister are still there!" Bella cried, immediately worried for their safety. She was immediately distracted by her distress for them and forgot about the way being near Edward made her feel. The fear she felt was stronger.

Carlisle jumped in, "We are keeping an eye on the situation, Bella, and will be notified if something happens."

"If something happens, it's too late," she yelled and then instantly lower her voice. "I have to go back. I have to help them before something happens!"

Bella didn't know what she could do, but she couldn't stand the thought of just sitting here, knowing what was lurking at her old home, and just waiting to hear news after the fact.

"That's what Carlisle and I were discussing," Edward said quietly. He didn't address the comment to her, but more towards Carlisle.

"And I told you that we must be patient," Carlisle said. His voice was sharp as if it he annoyed to have the conversation come back to this topic. They were both speaking now as if they had forgotten that she was in the room.

"What about her feelings? I already broke protocol by bringing her here the way I did. What is she going to think when we sit by and let the rest of her family be killed?" Edward said quietly to Carlisle. "Or worse?"

"This is not about her feelings or her family, Edward. This is about survival. You are letting your own feelings cloud your judgment." Carlisle placed his elbows on the desk and laid his head in his palms. This gesture made him look very tired.

"That's ridiculous," Edward replied fiercely. "This is about preventing more losses for everyone _and_ for the future."

Bella had had enough. "Hello! I'm sitting right here. Can you two at least not talk about me like I can't hear! Damn it!"

Both Edward and Carlisle looked a little startled by her outburst. They didn't say anything for a minute, they just stared at her, mouths agape, like they were taking her into consideration.

Carlisle broke the silence first.

"You're right Bella," he sound patronizing. "We shouldn't speak as such in front of you. There's just a lot to consider, and a decision cannot be based on emotion alone."

Bella made her mind instantly.

"There is not a decision to made," she said firmly. "You're going to take me home. I will figure out a way to get my mom and sister safe."

Both of the men stared at her in disbelief.

"You don't know what you are risking, Bella," Carlisle said with a shake of his head. "No. That is not a possibility."

"What don't _you_ understand?" Bella could feel the anger she had tried to call earlier finally emerging. "I wasn't asking."

Carlisle looked at her sadly. "Bella…"

"No. Don't," she interrupted before he could say anymore. "You are going to take me home. I will get them my family to leave and then you guys can do whatever to deal with the vampires."

Bella was surprise at how resolved her voice sounded.

"I have already lost a father because of you guys. I will not be made an orphan."

As she said the last part, she noticed that Edward dropped his gaze. Bella saw that he knew the pain that he had caused her, even if he wasn't overly remorseful, and she was almost sorry to have brought it up. Almost.

"Bella," Carlisle said, trying to calm her down. "That was never the intention."

"But that is the ultimate destination for me, isn't it?" Bella's eyes began to tear up and she quickly rubbed at them. She did not want to cry.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Carlisle said sadly dropping his gaze away from her. "I cannot allow you to return. There is too much at stake,"

Bella didn't answer. She didn't trust her voice, instead she got up, and stormed out of the room like a spoiled child who was denied a shiny toy. She didn't pay attention to where she was going. She just needed to get away for them.

The doors that led outside were right across from the office, past the atrium. Bella walked quickly and as soon as she crossed through the doors that led outside, she ran. Bella didn't see where she was going, she just ran until her lungs were gasping for air and her heart was pounding.

She stopped and tried to see through the tears that were spilling out of her eyes. She hadn't gone as far as she thought, she could still she the house in the distance. She looked around and saw that she wasn't too far from the pond she had noticed earlier. She walked over to it and collapsed down at the edge.

The sun was just beginning to go down and the glowing rays reflected off of the still surface. The pond was a perfect circle, and she wondered if it was natural or created with the landscaping. She assumed it was created. Natural ponds were not this round.

She stared into the clear water and thought about what she was going to do. Carlisle wasn't going to take her home. She admitted to herself that even if he did, she had no clue what she could say or do to get her mom and Jessica to safety. To add a complication, Carlisle had said that didn't know her anymore.

Bella snorted, and said out loud to nobody but herself, "Yeah, I can see this. The crazy psycho person, me, telling them that vampires were stalking them. That's going to go over real good." The idea made her laugh.

She thought about how she would have reacted a month ago if someone had told her that. She would have called the authorities and had the person locked up in a ward. One with an extra padded room.

Bella sighed and looked again into the water. She tried to clear her mind, she knew dwelling on this wasn't going to help anyone.

She took several deep breaths and concentrated on the setting sun and the colors that were reflecting in the liquid mirror. She thought that they really were beautiful. The sky was gold, with red streaks where the sun was and the colors were putting on a wonderful light show in the water's reflective surface. Even the waving grass seemed to glow in the dimming rays.

Looking down, she saw the water shift and it began to lap at the edges, where the grass met a thin trip of sand. Bella hadn't felt any wind, but didn't have the mental capacity at that moment to dwell on it. She watched the ripples move, feeling a strange calm settle over her, and then she saw it.

Bella saw that, what were the reds and golds of the sunset, shift into a perfect picture of her former home. As she looked closer, it was as if she was walking up to the house. She went through the doors and saw the familiar entryway, the living room and the kitchen.

Her mom wasn't there, but something told he that Jessica was. The image in the water followed the stairs to the second floor, and then down the hallway to a door. It was the door to Jessica's room.

Bella's heart pounded, as the image went through the door into Jessica's messy space, she saw the scene she had known so well. Clothes thrown haphazardly all over the place. Pictures of both her friends and the numerous _Twilight _cast members adorned that walls. Jessica had loved that movie. Bella rolled her eyes as she caught a glimpse of a large poster that displayed a horribly made up boy embracing a skanky looking girl with _Twilight _written across the bottom.

Movement on the bed drew Bella's attention away from her reminiscing. Jessica was there and was making out with Mike Newton. Bella ignored her urge to gag and look away, and what she noticed made her blood run cold.

Mike was bent over her, kissing and nuzzling her neck. He moved a little to cradle Jessica in his arms, and Bella saw them. Fangs. They were elongating and his eyes changed to a gleaming red shine. Jessica was trying to pull him back to her and he lowered his head.

"No!" Bella screamed and reached toward the water. "Stop!"

Her finger tips touched the water, and the cool wetness reminded her that she was only watching what was happening, and there was nothing that she could do.

For a moment, Bella wondered if this was a figment of her imagination brought on by the stress of everything she had been through and heard over the last couple of days, but the image was too real.

Amazingly, Mike froze before biting Jessica and looked around like he was expecting someone to walk into the room and catch them. Bella heard her sister moan in protest to Mike's apparent change in plans.

_Is this happening? Did he hear me?_ Bella thought to herself. It appeared as if he did, and Bella's gut told her that it was true. She thought about it as she watched the confusion in Mike's face. She could feel him, could feel his sudden anxiety, and that scared her.

"Get away from her," she said to test the theory. There was a part of her that didn't expect him to obey but he did. He unwrapped his arms from Jessica , slid off the bed and stared out, searching for the reason for his actions. It was like he knew Bella was there, but was helpless to see her of do anything about it.

His obedience gave Bella a feeling of power. She didn't know where it had come from, but Bella felt different. She felt the surge of energy burn through her body and radiate out through her pores. She knew she could make him do anything. She knew that she was in control.

"Open the window," she commanded. Her voice even sounded different. There was something there that was old ancient. It was like a long lost memory of who she was and it felt natural. Something was taking over, coming forth in her, that hade been trapped for years, and now was free to reign in her skin.

Mike went obediently to the window. The curtains were drawn and blocking out the last rays of sun. He pushed them open. He moved like his limbs were being directed by strings. He was a marionette that someone was controlling against his will.

Bella heard Jessica's voice pleading with him to come back by her, but Mike acted like he couldn't hear her. He ignored Jessica and opened the window, waiting for the next command.

"Go. Go and never return," Bella said in her new powerful voice.

Mike jumped out the window and disappeared into the rapidly approaching night.

Bella could hear Jessica's screaming. The high piercing wail brought her out of her focus. She could still see her sister, standing at the window bellowing for him to be unhurt and return to her. Bella put her hands over her ears to try to block out the sound, but it didn't work. The scream penetrated through her hands, rang inside her skull, and Bella finally slammed her hand down into the water.

"Stop!"

The surface of the pond shuttered violently where her fist hand broke the surface and the screaming disappeared with the ripples that broke up the image. As quickly as the image had formed, it was gone. The surface was, again, reflecting the almost night sky.

"How did you do that?" a voice said from behind Bella.

Bella yelped and turned around. It was Edward.

"I asked 'How did you do that?'" his voice was impatient. Bella looked at him and saw an excited gleam in his eyes.

Bella shrugged. "It just happened and…and I somehow knew I could. I don't know."

"Come on." Edward grabbed her arm and forced her to stand up. "Carlisle needs to know about this."

He was rough with her and Bella didn't understand his urgency. His grip hurt and she knew that it would leave a bruise.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped angrily. "Let me go!"

She shook his hand off her, surprised that he dropped his hand, but she was still infuriated that he would dare handle her so roughly.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked harshly. "Can't you find another fledgling's life to ruin?"

She knew the words were cruel and that fledglings, according to Carlisle, were rare, but really was mad.

"I came to make sure you were okay. Carlisle was worried that you might do something stupid." he replied completely ignoring her other question. "I saw what you did to that hybrid. I saw you make him do it. We need to tell Carlisle."

"Why? What did I do?" Bella snapped. She was annoyed that the only reason he was checking on her was because he was told to. He was the cause of all of her anguish, the least he could do was show some remorse.

"Let's go." Edward didn't answer her.

Bella stood there without taking a step. This had happened too fast and she wasn't sure what to tell anyone about it, or doing anything Edward wanted her to.

Edward grabbed her arm again. He didn't ask her again. He just drug her, unwillingly, all the way back to the house.

Remembering how fruitless it had been to fight him in her yard when he was being gentle, she made a quick decision not to try now. He was hurting her now and she was afraid of how far he would go to force her into submission.

When they reached the door Carlisle was waiting, as if he was expecting them. He looked at Bella first, then settled on Edward. Nothing was immediately said. Carlisle was reading them both and, for the first time, Bella could actually feel him doing it. It felt dirty and she briefly felt violated.

"What does this mean?" Carlisle asked. The question sounded more like he was pondering to himself than asking Bella or Edward.

"It means we need to talk," Edward responded curtly. He drug Bella into the house and back in to Carlisle's office. Carlisle followed and shut the door quickly behind them. Edward pushed Bella into a chair, she immediately crossed her arms over her chest and set her chin, in a sign of defiance.

Carlisle took his chair behind the desk and Edward sat down in the chair nearest to Bella. He looked over to Carlisle and ignored Bella's childish pose.

"Bella. What happened out there?" it was Carlisle who asked.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Cursed

"I need to know what happened out there, Bella," Carlisle said, his eyes boring into her.

Bella was angry at the way Edward had spied on her, drug her back to the house, and had no desire to discuss the recent events with anyone.

"Nothing," she said through gritted teeth.

"That's bullshit, Bella." Edward started to get out of the chair. "I saw you. You made that hybrid obey you. You controlled him."

He managed to get all the way up and was hovering over Bella.

Her heart started speeding up. She wasn't sure what emotion was causing the response. He was so close; she could easily reach up and touch his chest. When she glanced up at his face, though, she wanted to cringe and find some place to hide. She had never had anyone look at her with such menace before.

"Edward," Carlisle said firmly. "I won't tolerate this. Sit down or get out."

Edward turned to face Carlisle and Bella assumed he was also giving his that dreadful look. But he backed down. She felt it when he relax, and watched him return to the chair.

Bella waited for one of the men to say something again. It was Carlisle who spoke first.

"Is Edward right?"

"I'm not…," she was stuttering. She took a deep breath to get control. "I don't know what happened."

Bella was wondering why he was pushing for an answer when he could pick one of their minds and see it all for himself. She was frustrated and terrified by what had happened and Edward's reaction and in no mood to talk about it with anyone.

Edward was fidgeting in his chair like he wanted to say something but couldn't. Carlisle looked at him and shook his head.

"If Edward says that you were controlling the hybrid, I believe him. He would not be able to mistake that."

Bella heard something in the tone of his voice that confused her even more. _Was he talking about his ability to read minds?_ She sighed and rubbed her forehead in frustration as a new thought came to her.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked worried now.

She could clearly see that Edward was on the verge of massive breakdown and she didn't want to be anywhere near him when that bomb went off.

"I don't know. You didn't kill the hybrid," Carlisle said honestly, and then turned and directed the next question to Edward. "How much did he see?"

"He saw her. I am sure of that. I picked up his thoughts of her. I'm not sure if he got a location, though," Edward answered. "I'm trying to get more."

He spoke very fast and if Bella hadn't have been paying attention, she would have missed what was said. She could hear the anxiety in his voice still.

She looked at Edward and then to Carlisle. She heard what they were saying and her mind was spinning about the possible meanings behind the words, each of her ideas getting more insane. She must have looked completely confused because Carlisle focused on her and gave a soft, reassuring smile.

"Bella," Carlisle started. "Do you remember why I had to kill my sister?"

The question startled her, but she quickly figured that there must be something there that would make sense. She thought back to Carlisle's story and replayed his words through her head. It took her a moment to come to the answer and wondered what it had to do with her controlling a vampire.

"You killed her because she attacked him," she said, jerking her chin to show that the him she was referring to was Edward, without actually having to look at him. She could feel him enough to know that that would be a mistake.

"Yes," Carlisle said. "I didn't tell you the details of the story because much of that is Edward's tale, but I think, that now is a good time to enlighten you."

Carlisle looked at Edward for confirmation.

He just shrugged and Bella wasn't sure if he was agreeing or not. She was not going to push him for any answer.

But before Carlisle said anymore, he pulled the silver cell phone out of his pocket, dialed and put the phone to his ear.

"Esme, can you come to my office? Bring the stuff for Edward too, please."

Carlisle snapped the phone closed, and set it down on the desk in front of him.

"I think before we jump in to this, Edward you need to tend to yourself," he said with authority.

"I'm fine," Edward growled through clench teeth.

Bella risked a glance over to Edward and her heart contracted. He was gripping the arm rests of the chair and perspiration covered his brow. She didn't want to feel anything for him, but she couldn't help noticing that he was suffering.

"Edward, even Bella can see it," Carlisle noted.

Edward threw a glare at Bella, who blushed when he caught her staring at him. She snapped her eyes back to Carlisle and felt the sting of tears. She didn't understand why he was so angry.

She hated feeling drawn to him. He was gorgeous, but he obviously despised her and didn't hide that fact from anyone.

Then she thought back to the debate between him and Carlisle that she had gotten caught eavesdropping on. He had been arguing to go and protect her family. Then, before that, he had been upset with Carlisle for telling her too much so soon and had helped put her to bed. He had been gentle with her then. She told herself that maybe there was a good reason, that had nothing to do with her, for his anger.

Bella shook her head. None of this made any sense to her. She was stuck in some sort of crazy nightmare that she couldn't wake from and was starting to believe was reality.

The door opened and Esme entered the room carrying a tray with a large bottle on it. The bottle reminded Bella of the old glass soda bottles except it made out of silver. She walked over to Edward, and held the tray out in front of him. At first he didn't move. He just gave Esme the same hateful glare that Bella thought was reserved specially for her.

"Edward," Esme said calmly. "You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of a guest do you?"

She said this in such a motherly way that Bella almost would have giggled, but stopped herself by thinking that Edward would probably rip off her head for such an outburst. She found it funny to watch Esme meet his glare right back.

Edward took the bottle, and Esme smiled at him. She settled herself into another chair and leaned the tray against the wall behind her.

"Hello again, Bella. How are you getting along?" Her voice was pleasantly soft. "Are the boys behaving?"

She glance playfully between Edward and Carlisle. Edward just grunted, but Carlisle smiled at her adoringly. Bella could see how much Carlisle loved her, and found it was endearing. After a few moments shared with Carlisle, Esme turned to Bella.

"Sweetheart, if these guys give you trouble, you let me know." Bella saw the dimples when she smiled and felt herself relax. Bella could feel that Esme really was a good person. The entire room seemed to calm a little with her in it.

"Ah…thanks," Bella said. "They're fine."

"That's good to hear, though I must admit, that it surprises me. They have a tendency to blurt out stuff with no regard to anyone else. I must be rubbing off on them," Esme said with a twinkle.

"Nope," Carlisle said, sounding playful. "We're just tired of you scolding us."

Esme smiled at him and winked. "So Bella, what's going on?"

Bella froze. She didn't know how to answer that question.

"Bella, has an usual talent," Carlisle answered. "She needs to know about Edward. I thought you would be the best person to tell the story."

"Ah, you mean to say, that you don't know how to tell her without making her run out of the room screaming."

"That's one way of putting it." The smile he gave Esme was blinding.

Had the topic of the pending conversation been different, Bella would have enjoyed the casual banter between Carlisle and Esme, but as it was, she knew that she wasn't going to like what she found out, and that ruined her enjoyment of the moment.

Esme nodded, and then turned her full attention to Bella.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you any better than one of them could, so I am just going to tell you what I know," she said honestly.

Bella only nodded. She was learning quickly that her response didn't really matter. They were going to tell her things whether she wanted to know or not and, if she was being honest, she had been wondering what the deal with Edward was.

"Edward was not born as one of us. He was a fledgling, like yourself. Carlisle found him when Edward was twenty four. Carlisle had been tracking Rosalie. He had followed her, and her coven of hybrids, to Wisconsin. Most hybrids prefer the heavily wooded areas in the world."

"Wisconsin was the perfect staging area for the vampires. It was not heavily populated and the northern part of the state was covered by thick hardwood forests."

"Carlisle was scouting the area around the home they kept there to find the best way to take this group out. He knew that Rosalie traveled with three other hybrid companions and would be difficult to get to but, as you know, he had a personal reason for this mission and was determined to succeed."

Bella looked between Carlisle and Esme. She was a little surprised that Esme knew about Rosalie and seemed to be okay with it.

Carlisle spoke up. "Bella, we all have things in our lives that we have done that we are ashamed of and cannot change. We can't dwell on mistakes of our past. With lives like ours, the pain and regret would be never ending if we tried."

Bella nodded with understanding. She had lived believing she was the cause of her dad's death for two long years and could not imagine a never ending life of that guilt.

"Hybrids are weakest during the daylight. Wisconsin is known for having long winters with short days. Although they don't burn up in the sun like old myths and legends claim, they are not at full strength and far easier to kill. This is when Carlisle chose to go in."

"He entered the home without any problems. The house they were using was no more than an old wooden shack, and had very few security measures. I think that they assumed that because they were in the middle of the forest, their biggest fear would be bears, not an angry Amaranthine out for revenge. They were completely caught by surprise."

"Carlisle killed Rosalie's three companions easily. They were newly made hybrids and had not reached their full strength. Rosalie was matured and gave Carlisle more of a fight. They went back and forth, neither getting the best of each other, when Carlisle noticed that there were extra bodies in the room. Rosalie used this distraction to flee."

"Carlisle was going to follow her, but noticed that one of the bodies was still moving. He bent over to check him and realized that the man was still alive. It was Edward. The hybrids had been keeping humans with them, in the home, to feed off of. Edward had multiple bites but had survived the numerous feedings. Carlisle was going to put him out his misery when he opened his eyes and saw him. Edward spoke to him and begged him for help."

"Fledglings do not turn up often, as I am sure Carlisle told you."

Bella nodded to confirm this and Esme went on after acknowledging that.

"To leave a fledgling to die like that, well, it goes against our survival instincts. Fledglings are a great gift and also add variety to the gene pool, but Edward was severely damaged, and Carlisle wasn't sure what to do. If he took him back for care, he would lose track of Rosalie, and have to start the hunt all over, but if he followed her now, Edward might die."

"Carlisle didn't have to make that decision though. It turns out that, Rosalie had grown fond of Edward, and had planned to change him so he could join her and her coven. She actually returned to the home to retrieve him while Carlisle was still there debating what to do. She must have thought that Carlisle had left to follow her and had doubled back. Carlisle surprised her by still being there, and killed her defending him."

"Carlisle brought Edward back here. We had already obtained this location, and had several of our kin staying with us. I remember that day clearly. The trip through the portals had almost killed him and it took days to bring him back to health. We weren't sure exactly what to do with him. You see, he had been bitten numerous times and his system was overrun with vampire venom. We had never seen the hybrid transition before but we knew he was on the verge of changing, or dying."

"We summoned Jasper to come and help. Carlisle was the only transitioned fledgling I had known. I was born to an immortal. So neither of us had had any experience with guidance. Jasper had helped several fledglings into this life, and we knew we needed help, and quickly. The hybrid venom was moving fast. We knew we only had a couple of days left before Edwards body succumbed to it."

"Jasper arrived, and saw the seriousness of the situation. This was a first, a fledgling infected with the hybrid venom, and no one was really sure how Edward would turn out. It was a risk for all of us. Jasper and Carlisle worked with Edward for days. I didn't see any of them. I was under strict orders to keep everyone away from them, in case then went badly."

"Those days seemed to drag on. I spent most of the time in the nursery with Emmett who was only a small child then. After six days, it was over."

"Edward had made the transition, but the hybrid venom had left it's mark. The most obvious it that he still requires blood. Without several pints a day, Edward loses his ability to focus and is a danger to himself and others. We are still not sure what would happen if he was denied the blood for too long. Edward wanted to find out one time what would happen, but Carlisle wouldn't allow it."

"The second oddity is that Edward is still connected to the hybrids. He feels them when they are near and can hear their thoughts. We do not know if all hybrids have this ability, or if it is just Edward."

"He doesn't have the same sunlight weakness as them or the silver aversion. He is more of an Amaranthine in that respect. We are still learning what about the traits that he shares with both races, though."

Carlisle and Esme shared a look and Bella wondered what it was about. It seemed that they were all able to have these private conversations with Carlisle.

Esme eyes widened in shock for a minute and then she was silent then. She looked at Bella to see how she was taking this all in. Bella glanced at Edward. He had his head down and was not looking at anyone. She saw that the bottle Esme had brought him empty, and he was lightly running his fingers over it as if his mind was in a different place entirely. She realized that it must have been blood in the bottle, and Bella involuntarily shuttered at the thought of him drinking it. She wondered where it had come from.

"Edward's a vampire." The statement sounded more like a question, but once it was out Bella couldn't take the words back.

"No," Edward said, jerking his head up and looking straight at her. Bella cringed at his eyes shot daggers. "I am nothing like those soulless beasts."

Bella opened her mouth to apologize, but Carlisle spoke before she got the words out.

"Edward is an immortal. The venom is like an infection or a disease."

"It's a curse," Edward supplied flatly.

Bella didn't know what to say. She still thought that he was closer to a vampire because of his need for blood, but didn't say anything.

"Edward doesn't kill for his blood. We get it the same way hospitals do, through donors. We have yet to find a cure, but Jasper has made it his personal mission to determine a way to end the bloodlust he feels." It was Esme who spoke now.

_Like that changes anything._ Bella thought to herself. There was no way she was going to say this out loud. Instead she just nodded at Este's logic and said nothing.

Everyone was quiet, absorbed in their own thoughts. Bella glanced around and saw the Carlisle was staring at her curiously. She had seen that look on his face before when he said that he was trying to figure her out. She wondered if he had some new ideas about her and was about to ask.

"Carlisle, we are going to need to move her," Edward said and broke the silence before Bella had a chance to question Carlisle.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Are you sure, Edward?" Carlisle looked upset at the prospect, and Bella suspected the she was the 'her' in question.

"Yes, while Esme was talking, I caught it. They are going to move in. They want her. They have begun the hunt."

Bella got the impression that there should have been more said, but Edward didn't elaborate. He didn't need to. He was speaking directly to Carlisle and with his gift, Edward actually didn't need to vocalize anything.

"What about the rest of us? Are we safe here?"

"I think you should be," Edward answered. "As long as she is gone. That male hybrid, the one who head she got in, has got a fix for her. You know how the hunt goes, I would still take precautions."

Carlisle nodded and Bella wished that he didn't. She knew nothing of the _hunt_. She wondered how much danger they were all in.

"When a hybrid sets his or her mind on their next target, they can track that person to the ends of the earth," Carlisle explained for her. "It's almost a psychic connection and the only way for it to be broken is for the hybrid to win, or to die."

"Mike is after me?" Bella asked shocked. The idea of a vampire obsessively chasing her made her stomach turn. She felt like she was going to throw up.

"Mike, that's the hybrids name? Do you know him?" Edward asked. His voice wasn't angry anymore, but Bella thought she heard disgust as he spoke Mike's name.

"Yeah," Bella answered. "He went to my school and was, kind-of, dating my sister."

Everyone in the room looked at her. Nobody moved.

"What?" Bella asked, her voice high. She didn't understand why they were all shocked by this. Kids dated all of the time and no one knew that he was a vampire. To everyone in Forks, he was just a normal kid.

Her mind buzzed with thoughts of her sister and what might have happened if she hadn't made him stop. A shiver went down her spine.

"He went to school with you?" Esme asked, interrupting her mental tirade.

"Yeah. Why?" Bella knew she had clearly stated this.

"They must have been tracking her for longer than we realized," Edward said looking bewildered and confused. "I never picked up on it until that night."

"It's not your fault, Edward," Esme said comforting him. "Maybe they weren't tracking her, and it was just a coincidence."

"But she also said that one was dating her sister. They had to have known." Edward was clearly bother by this.

Bella was annoyed by Edwards personal lament. This was not about him.

"You know what? Who cares?" she said to Edward, and then turned to Carlisle. "What does this mean?"

"It means that you need to go into hiding until we take car of this."

Bella thought about everything that has happened recently and this just didn't seem as bad as it should. She would go in to hiding and they would kill the vampire. She thought to herself, _Well, could my life get any stranger at this point?_

"Why do I have to hide?" she asked. "I made him stop attacking my sister. Couldn't I just made him stop coming after me? Then we would all be fine."

It seemed to make sense to her, even thought she had no idea how it had happened in the first place.

Carlisle must have been thinking along the same lines because it took him a moment to respond.

"Bella, we don't know if you could. Besides, they will follow you and we need to lead them from the house. We _must_ keep this house secure."

Bella looked at Esme and Carlisle. She didn't know how to argue this, and knew the if she did, she would lose anyway.

"Okay then. Let's do this," Bella said with confidence, as they all stared at her. She ignored the little part of her brain that told her that this was going to get really bad.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**Attacked**

**Bella used the lull in the conversation to excuse herself from the office. For the last couple of days, she had done everything to try to avoid being locked up in what was now her room. Now, after this, that was where she wanted to be, with the door shut away from all of this craziness.**

**She sluggishly marched up the flights of stairs that led to the forth floor, down the hall, and pushed the door open. Bella walked in, kicked the door shut, and hopped up on to the edge of the bed.**

**So much had happened, and her body felt numb. She felt no fear, anger, remorse. She didn't feel anything, except tired. Not sleepy, but mentally, emotionally and physically drained. **

**Soon, she would be leaving to go into hiding, while some hunt obsessed vampire sought her.**

**Pulling her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs and thought about how easy life had been before she met Edward in her backyard. There was still something about him that caused her to feel tingly and hot whenever she thought about him, and somehow she knew that it was fate that their paths had crossed. **

**But he despised her, **_**and,**_** he was a vampire.**

**She didn't care how Esme and Carlisle justified his existence. He was a vampire.**

"**Vampire," she said out loud and the sound of the word escaping her lips made her shiver. It brought to mind images of fangs, blood, people dying. In all the stories she had heard, vampires were evil, soulless beings. **

**But Edward didn't have fangs. At least, she had never seen any. And he wasn't soulless. She felt his soul and it called to her. **_**Maybe he was something different. **_

_**There was a soft knock on the door interrupting her thoughts, and before she could say anything, Alice entered the room.**_

"_**Are you okay?" Her voice was soft and held obvious concern.**_

_**Bella looked up and nodded. There was nothing to say. She couldn't tell her that she was frightened out of her mind, confused because of the way her body responded just by thinking about Edward, and sick with worry about everyone she knew. Confessing this would do nothing except make her look weak and silly.**_

"_**I remember what it was like, you know," Alice said quietly as she sat down next to her. "I remember the fear, the confusion."**_

_**Bella just lifted her eyes to meet hers. What she saw made her believe what Alice was saying, she did remember, and Bella could see that part of her suffered along with her.**_

"_**You have it worse than I did, though," she continued sadly. "I was a normal fledgling and I had lost all of my family in a fire when I was found. I mourned of course, but it's different for you, isn't it?"**_

"_**Yes." That was all Bella said and she was surprised that anything came out. She couldn't say anymore though. She was afraid that if she started, the feelings would come flooding back and right now, she was still numb.**_

"_**Well, I'm supposed to help you prepare," Alice said with a sigh. She gently pat Bella's shoulder, it was supposed to be a reassuring sentiment, and stood up to face her.**_

"_**Prepare for what?" Bella's mind was not firing at top speed and she wasn't sure exactly what she was preparing for anymore.**_

"_**Edward and I are going to take you away from here." Alice looked at her with a concerned expression. **_

_**Bella's head snapped up immediately. "Why is Edward going?" No. He was the last person she wanted to be with. She was surprised her agreed to this and wondered how much of a fight occurred. She could picture Edward and Carlisle facing off to make this decision. This picture she created in her mind made her shutter.**_

"_**Edward, can tell what they are thinking and that will be useful in keeping you safe." Alice walked over the dresser as she spoke, not paying any attention to Bella's discomfort with the arrangements. She obviously thought that was a good idea and wasn't going to debate the decision with her.**_

"_**No. I don't want him to go," she said firmly. Bella was not going to let it go.**_

_**Alice turned and Bella saw the question on her face. Bella sighed. She had to think quickly. She couldn't tell Alice that she lost control of her body when Edward was near.**_

"_**What will he do about blood? What if can't get any and goes crazy?" It was the only thing that she could think of that made any sense.**_

_**Alice smiled as if that was a preposterous possibility. "We'll take plenty with us. Carlisle doesn't expect for us to be gone long before the situation is under control."**_

"_**Where are we going?" Bella asked nervously.**_

"_**Wisconsin. Carlisle has another home there." Alice started to pull out stacks of clothing. Much more than what would be required for only a few days. She set the stack on the bed, went to the closest, and returned with a pair of sporty suede walking boots, a thick parka and a leather duffle bag.**_

_**Bella watched her carefully shove the clothes into the bag, not offering to help. Alice tossed the boots and jacket to her. Bella barely caught them before getting smacked in the face.**_

"_**How are we getting there?"**_

_**This time, it was Alice who looked confused.**_

"_**We're driving. How else would we go?" The look Alice gave her made her blush. She hadn't thought it was a silly question.**_

"_**Oh," Bella whispered softly. "How long is the drive?"**_

"_**About fifteen hours." Alice skipped into the bathroom and returned a minute later with a small carrying case the Bella assumed held toiletries.**_

_**Fifteen hours! Bella wondered how she was going to survive that long in a car with Edward. She knew that this was going to be bad. She could feel it in her gut.**_

"_**Come on," Alice directed officially. "We need to go. Edward will be waiting for us. He wants to leave right away."**_

_**She picked up the duffel bag and the carrying case and headed out the door. Bella had no choice but to follow her. **_

_**Alice ran down the stairs, but Bella was not as sure footed. She took each step one at a time, and at each, thought of a new way that this was going to be a terrible thing. She finally made it to the first floor. She looked up to determine what direction Alice had gone, and noticed that everyone was gathered in front of the atrium.**_

_**Edward, Emmett and Carlisle were in a deep discussion. Alice was standing next to Esme waiting for her to catch up. Bella walked over by the two women and was caught completely off guard when Esme swept her into a hug. She noticed that she had a fresh, lemony smell to her.**_

"_**Everything will be fine, Bella," she said sweetly. Her words, meant to comfort her, just made the feeling of apprehension worse and Bella felt her stomach flip uncomfortably.**_

_**Bella wanted to believe her, but couldn't find the optimism needed to even lie to her. Instead, she just nodded and returned the hug. Strangely, she did find a measure of comfort in Esme's embrace.**_

"_**Watch after Edward for me." Esme had released her from the hug, but had kept both of her hands on Bella's shoulders. Bella knew that she was speaking to both her and Alice, but Esme held her eyes. They were full of unspoken worry and fear. Bella wasn't sure if it was for her, or for Edward.**_

"_**We'll all be fine," Alice said a little to cheerfully for the situation. "You worry too much." She leaned over and kissed Esme on the cheek.**_

_**The men stepped over to join them. Carlisle smiled and wrapped his arm around Esme's shoulders. She had dropped her hands from Bella and now one reached up to embrace Carlisle hand. **_

"_**You'll stay in my home in Wisconsin. Edward knows the way and will get you safety there. Everything you need has been packed." Carlisle smiled as he spoke but Bella could see the nervousness in his eyes.**_

_**Again, Bella just nodded. She thought about the story Esme had told about Carlisle finding Edward and wondered if they were going to the same area. If they were, she wondered how Edward would be. He was difficult to deal with here, and she wondered how many dark memories he had of being kept as a walking meals-on-wheels for Rosalie and her companions. If there were more than a few, which she suspected there was, he was going to be a nightmare.**_

_**Nobody was paying attention to her as she though about this. They were all saying their good byes to Edward and Alice.**_

"_**Ready Bella?" Alice chirped and grabbed her by the elbow not waiting for an answer. She led them through a huge kitchen. Bella had never been in such a large cooking area. There were four stoves, all in a row. Instead of refrigerators, there was a huge, walk in cooling room with a glass double door. Bella could see that it was stocked to overflowing.**_

_**She didn't have time to notice much more, Alice pulled her quickly through to a long hallway. Bella glanced back to see Edward right on their heels. She looked at him long enough to see him shoot her an annoyed glare. Bella jerked her head forward again and told herself that she was right about him being a nightmare.**_

_**Several hundred feet later, Alice opened a steel, grey door and they entered a garage. Edward flipped a light switch and Bella saw rows of vehicles. There had to have been about twenty vehicles in there, of different types and styles. She even spied a couple of mean looking motorcycles nestled in the far corner.**_

_**Bella was led to a black, four door crew cab pick-up truck. There were several boxes and duffel bags already thrown in the bed and Alice heaved her stuff along side them. Edward went to the drivers side and hopped in. Alice and Bella walked around to the other side. Bella moved to get into the back but Alice shook her head and pointed to the front.**_

"_**You get to sit shot gun."**_

_**Bella glared at her as she opened the truck door, slid in and put her seatbelt on. **_

_**The interior of the truck was done in a light grey leather and was equipped with all of the latest gadgets. Bella recognized the GPS system but nothing else. There was even a lap top built in between the front seats.**_

_**Edward started the truck, pushed a keypad on the visor above head, and drove forward as the garage door in front of him opened.**_

_**Bella realized that she had no idea where she was. Fifteen hours from Wisconsin could be a lot of places. She reviewed the geography of the United States and Canada, and briefly wished that she had been a better student when she started drawing blanks.**_

_**She settled into the seat and watched as they drove out of the area. She had been right about her assumptions about the trees being planted. After about ten minutes, the landscape was nothing but softly rolling hills covered with tall grasses. The wind must have been blowing slightly because the fields swayed and reminded her of the ocean surf. **_

_**Glancing at the clock, she saw that it read five forty two. Judging by the sun's position in the sky, she knew that it was pm. She sighed and stared into the distance, she hoped that they would go through a town of some sort soon.**_

_**Bella turned to Alice, "Hey, how long do we drive before we stop for the night?"**_

_**Alice didn't answer, Edward did. "Please, do not start an 'Are we there yet?' whine."**_

"_**Edward," Alice chastised him in a disapproving tone but said nothing else.**_

_**Bella jerked back, shocked by his response and said nothing. He had no reason to be like that. Bella resolved that she wasn't going to pick a fight with him in such close quarters and leaned back into the seat. **_

_**She knew that they didn't need to sleep and would probably drive straight through. She hoped that they would at least stop for bathroom breaks.**_

_**They drove for hours in silence. Every now and then, Alice would hand Edward a silver bottle which he drank down in one big gulp, before handing it back to her. Bella tried hard not to think about what was in the bottle or where the contents had come from. She really didn't want to know.**_

_**Bella was disappointed that Edward took only back roads. He avoided all major highways and towns. This made the ride seem even more tedious. They had stopped once, a few hours into the trip, at a wayside so they cold relive themselves, but Edward made sure that it was a rush stop and didn't give them any time to stretch their legs or for Bella to investigate her surroundings.**_

_**Several times during the night, Bella dozed off. She was awakened each time by Edward and Alice softly murmuring to each other. Each time, they had ceased the conversation as soon as she woke up an this had begin to frustrate her. Bella forced herself to try to stay awake after the third time this happened. As long as she was awake, they remained silent.**_

_**It seemed like they had been driving forever when Edwards voice made her jump.**_

"_**The bridge is coming, Alice. This should be interesting."**_

_**Bella could tell that they were both extremely tense and it was obvious that they had been keeping something from her. She glanced out the window. It was dark and the landscape had changed. They were driving through extreme hills with sheer cliffs covered with thick trees. There was a little more traffic on the road here and Bella wondered if they had been forced to take a busier highway. **_

_**She glanced at Edward and noticed that his knuckles were white. She felt the fear course through her.**_

"_**Alice, what's going on?" She broke the silence, but she needed to knew what was happening.**_

"_**They're waiting for us on the bridge." Bella could hear the tension in her voice and knew that this was worrying her.**_

"_**Isn't there another way?" her voice wavered as she glanced between Edward and Alice, she hoped one of them would answer.**_

"_**No," Edward finally responded after a silent moment. "They'll just follow us to another place. This is the biggest crossing and they won't risk too much notice by the mortals. This is our best chance to get through."**_

_**His voice held no menace. It was just flat and calculating. Bella wondered if he was just as nervous about this as she was.**_

_**She didn't say anything else. There was nothing for her to say. She just stared out the window and saw that they were getting closer to a larger city. After a few minutes, she saw the green informational highway sign that read twenty five miles to La Crosse. She knew where La Crosse was. They were in Minnesota preparing to cross the Mississippi River into Wisconsin.**_

_**The miles crept by and the lights grew brighter. It was a little after two o'clock in the morning and there wasn't a lot of traffic. Just a few vehicles here and there going about their business completely unaware of the fear and tension of inhabitants of this truck.**_

_**Bella could see the winding, muddy river as they moved on. She kept her eyes focused on it and hoped that this would be over soon. She could hear Alice rummaging through something in the back, but didn't look to see what see was doing. She kept her eyes ahead on the road and watched as they moved closer to the bridge that would take them over the state line.**_

_**She had never seen the Mississippi River, and in another life, would have loved the chance. Her thoughts brushed this thought aside as quickly as it had come up. **_

_**They entered the four lane highway that led them across the water and noticed that Edward was staring into the rearview mirror. Bella chanced a look back and clamped down of the scream that almost forced its way out. **_

"_**Alice!" Edward yelled. He had seen it too. Running behind the truck on the driver's side was a man. Bella didn't need either of them to tell her that this was a vampire, no human could run like that.**_

_**Bella felt the truck gain speed as Edward pushed his foot down harder on the accelerator pedal, but the vampire was keeping up. **_

_**Alice moved over so that she was sitting on the driver's side and rolled down the window. Bella didn't know what she was doing, but gasped when she saw the glint of silver in her hands. She hovered by the open window and brought a large handgun up to aim it at the running vampire. The gun was wide, wider than any of the guns Bella remembered seeing her dad carrying.**_

_**She pulled the trigger and a shot rang out. Bella glanced back and saw a flash of light explode out of the runner, and then he was gone.**_

"_**Silver powder," Edward said quickly. He was focusing on the road, but frequently glanced into his rearview mirror.**_

_**A loud bang made Bella jump and this time, a scream did escape her lips. **_

"_**Fuck!" Edward cursed loudly. "Alice!"**_

_**Bella looked back at Alice and it took a second for her to realize what was happening. In the bed of the truck, four vampires were standing holding on to the sides to balance. Bella immediately recognized Mike Newton among them and her heart leapt into her throat. He had found them.**_

_**They were inching forward against the wind generated by the speeding vehicle, with each step, getting closer to the cab of the truck.**_

"_**How many rounds do you have?" Edward screamed at Alice.**_

"_**Three, but I don't have a shot…" Alice never finished what she was gong to say. Her arms shot up to cover her head just as the back window exploded into the back seat. The shattered glass sounded like rain on the highway and glass seemed to fill the entire cab of the truck.**_

_**Bella ducked, but still felt the shards penetrating her skin in several places along her arms. She knew Alice got the worse of it and lifted her head in time to see her aim the gun, and shoot the vampire, **_

_**who was climbing through the void where the window was, squarely in the face. She saw the flash of light and it illuminated Alice's face. There were several streaks of blood running down her cheeks where the glass had cut her, and her hands and arms were also bleeding.**_

"_**Bella! Take the wheel," Edward was trying to get her to shift into the driver's seat. "I have to help her!"**_

_**Bella couldn't argue. She slid over, and for a second, she was perched on Edwards lap, for the first time since meeting him, she didn't notice her body react to the proximity. She grabbed the wheel and he slid directly into the back seat where more vampires where beginning to move into the vehicle. **_

_**Glancing back, she saw Alice reload the gun, aim, and fire. The vampire she was aiming at dodged the bullet and Bella heard Alice swear in frustration. Edward was fighting hand to hand with another male. After a few seconds, he managed to toss him back out the way he came in. Bella saw him flop several times on the road in the side view mirror before she lost him from sight.**_

_**They were almost across the bridge. Bella noticed the 'Wisconsin Welcomes You' sign and could see the lights of La Crosse as she sped forward. There were still two vampires fighting. One was a female with dark red hair and the other was Mike.**_

_**Edward and Mike were struggling in the back seat. Alice had been pulled out of the truck, through the broken window, into the bed and was wrestling with the female. It all happened very fast; Alice screamed, the gun went off and Mike was hovering over Edward.**_

_**Bella didn't know what had happened with Alice and the female, all she could see was Mike.**_

"_**Mike, stop!" Bella screamed, hearing the power rise in her voice, and saw Mike's head jerk to face her, fangs bared, and growling.**_

_**Glancing ahead of her, Bella saw that they had crossed the bridge. She slammed down on the brakes and felt the truck quickly slow to a jerking stop. The smell of burning rubber filled her nose and she steered the truck over the far left lane. Smacking it into park, Bella turned and glared at Mike. He had one hand clenching Edwards throat and the other gripping the headrest of her seat. Edward's eyes were wide and he stared at her, willing her to run and save herself.**_

"_**Let him go," Bella said the words calmly and she was surprised that her voice was steady. She felt the power again. She felt it roll through her and radiate to her limbs.**_

_**Mike's hand loosed and then finally completely released Edwards throat. Bella noticed that Edward also released the hold he had on Mike.**_

"_**Let him up," Bella commanded. Mike gaze never left her eyes as he completely removed his hand and Edward sat up and moved away from him.**_

_**Bella didn't see it coming. She never saw Edward move. One minute, Mike was staring at her, the next, his body slumped as blood saturated the seat and his head rolled to the other side of the truck. Edward decapitated him.**_

_**Bella didn't move. She didn't breathe. She saw the burst of light as the body of the vampire, that she had known for years as classmate Mike Newton, disappeared. Blood still soaked the seats and ran on to the floor of the truck. He was dead.**_

_**Bella stared in shock.**_

_**Bella didn't notice Edward open the truck door and jump out. She didn't hear him yell her name. **_

_**She was finally snapped out of her stupor when she saw Edward crawl into the backseat of the truck carrying Alice.**_

"_**What's wrong with her?" Bella's voice shook and trembled.**_

"_**She was bitten," Edward said gravely, holding Alice tenderly in his arms. "Drive Bella, we have a few hours to go." **_

_**Bella didn't move. She was still frozen in place. She stared at Alice and notice how pale and clammy her skin was. Her chest was moving with ragged breaths.**_

"_**Damn it Bella! Drive!" Edward barked at her. Bella turned to face the road, put her one of her hands on the leather steering wheel, and saw how bad she was shaking.**_

"_**I..I don't know if I can," she whispered.**_

"_**You drive or she dies." He wasn't looking at her as he said this. His eyes were on Alice. Bella could hear the strain in his voice and forced herself to pull it together.**_

_**She shifted the truck into drive and pulled the truck onto the highway.**_

"_**Are they gone?" Bella asked quietly.**_

"_**I think so," Edward answered without looking at her. "Alice managed to shoot the female. They were following Mike and he's…."**_

_**Bella was glad he didn't finish. She couldn't handle it right now.**_

"_**Is she okay?" Bella noticed haw pale and silent Alice was.**_

"_**Let's just get there, okay?" Edward never did answer her question and Bella wondered why he didn't. She thought that it must be really bad.**_

_**Bella didn't remember anything about the drive. Edward would bark out directions every little while and she followed them without argument. They were taking back roads and heading north. The sun had come up, and after four hours, Bella pulled the truck up to an old farm house surrounded by the straight even rows of trees. It was an old pine plantation. **_

_**Bella put the truck in park and rested her head against the steering wheel. She vaguely remembered hearing Edward talking to someone on a cell phone, but not what he had said. Alice was still holding on, but looked terrible. **_

_**Edward carried Alice out of the truck and walked around to the driver's side window.**_

"_**Stay here," he said quietly. "I'll be right back"**_

_**Bella didn't know if she answered hum. She just knew that she was alone, in the truck. She finally broke down and cried. She didn't know how long she sat there but she looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Surprisingly, she didn't jump. She raised her head and saw that Edward was back.**_

"_**Where's Alice?" Her voice was weak and cracked a little.**_

"_**She's getting help," he said solemnly. "Come on, you need to get inside."**_

_**He opened the door and helped Bella out of the truck. Once he was sure that she was steady on her feet, he walked around to the truck bed and grabbed the bags that they hadn't lost during the fight. Bella was surprised to see that only a few remained and all of the boxes were gone. She didn't remember losing them during the fight.**_

"_**Follow me," Edward said. He spoke softly. Bella wondered if he realized how shaken up she really was.**_

_**She followed him into the house and looked around. It was sparsely decorated. The main room was open with two brown couches facing each other and a large oval maroon rug between them. There was a large flat screen TV on the wall and a couple of floor lamps. Bella walked over and collapsed on one of the couches.**_

"_**Is she going to be okay?" She wasn't sure if Edward had followed her or not, but he sat down opposite of her.**_

"_**I don't know," he sighed and then put his head in his hands. "She's with Jasper."**_

_**Bella looked at him carefully and saw that he was suffering form the stress of the night too. She felt pity for him when she realized that he was worried about Alice. **_

"_**Jasper?" Bella was a little surprised to hear that. "Is he here?"**_

_**She admitted to herself that she was a little curious about Jasper. He was the one that helped both Carlisle and Edward through their transitions.**_

"_**Yeah," Edward said with a sigh and Bella realized how worn he looked. "I summoned him as soon as we got here. He's upstairs with her."**_

_**She forced herself up and moved to sit next to him. She reached out and grabbed his free hand. She felt a fire spread through her when her skin made contact and blushed.**_

_**Edwards head jerked up and he turned to face her. What Bella saw made her blood run cold and she dropped his hand. His amber eyes were outlined in a distinct ring of red.**_

"_**Bella, go," he said and gritted his teeth. "Pick a room and lock the door."**_

_**Bella jumped up, ran up the stairs, and hurled herself into the first open door that she saw. Slamming the door shit, she reached up and pushed in the bolt that locked it. Ignoring the bed, she walked over to the opposite wall, and slid down to the floor, leaning against the wall so she could watch the door.**_

_**She recognized the look in his eyes. She'd seen it on Mike when he was with Jessica and Bella realized that he had been without blood for awhile.**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

**Controlled**

**Bella sat against the wall until her muscles cramped and protested her into moving. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she thought that she was probably safe in the locked room. Standing up, she stretched her limbs, and took a good look at her surroundings. There was a large, four poster bed in the center of the wall to her left. It was covered with a patchwork quilt of many colors. A side table was on each side. Across from the bed was a large dresser with a picture of a country lake above it.**

**There were two log chairs and a high table next to her, underneath a large window. She walked over to the window to look outside. The landscape reminded her a bit of Forks. Millions of trees spread as far as she could see. The real difference was that it wasn't as green. The trees were in full bloom but the green was broken up by varying shades of brown. It had a drier, less mossy look than the forests in the Olympic Peninsula. Bella could also tell that the landscape rolled in irregular patterns, like the hills just popped up with no real design.**

**Looking up, she saw that the sky was an ominous shade of grey that foretold of a nasty storm that was on the way. Bella didn't know what the storms in Wisconsin were like, but this one looked like it was going to be bad. It wasn't raining yet, but the wind was whipping the tree tops and dark, ugly clouds were moving quickly towards the house. As she stood there, she noticed a couple of flashes of lightening in the distance.**

**Bella turned away from the window and went to sit on the bed. She thought of Alice and hoped that Jasper was helping her. She couldn't bear the thought that she wouldn't be okay. She had to be.**

**Bella couldn't just sit there. Too much had happened for her just to sit calmly and wait for news. She didn't know where Edward was and hadn't heard any sounds coming from downstairs. She decided to risk peaking out the door.**

**She got up and walked to the door. With her hand on the lock, she laid her ear against the door and strained to hear any sounds. There were none.**

**Unlocking the door, she turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly. She looked through the crack at the hallway. Nothing was there. She felt more confident and pushed the more until she was able to slip through into the hallway.**

**There was a door directly opposite her and two more a little way down the corridor to her left. To the right, was the stairway. There weren't any pictures on the wall here. Instead, there were a few old-fashioned looking sconces and a mounted deer head. She looked at the deer and noticed that the glass eyes were creepy. **

**She walked into the hall and headed cautiously to the staircase. She kept her hand on the wooden railing and as she walked down. The stairway ended in an open foyer between the living room and dining area. She glanced into the living room, where she had sat with Edward earlier, and saw that it was empty. She went into the dining room.**

**The room was dominated by a huge, solid wood table. There was a vase in the center with a single yellow rose in it. She looked at it for a moment and wondered how it got there.**

**A loud rumble of thunder startled her. She jumped a little at the sound.**

"**Who are you looking for?" Bella turned at the voice and saw a stunningly handsome man standing behind her. He was blonde, his hair was short but she could tell that it had a slight curl, and had a very square jaw. He wasn't as tall as Edward or Carlisle but he was solidly built and had very broad shoulders. His bright blue eyes flashed as he looked Bella over.**

"**You're Bella, right?" he asked. His voice was soft and lilting. **

**She nodded and continued to stare at him. She knew that she was being rude, but she was too captivated by this man to find her voice.**

**He smiled and she saw that he had very straight, white teeth. **

"**I'm Jasper."**

**Jasper. She refocused at this announcement. This was the man in both Carlisle's and Edward's story. He was the one who was helping Alice.**

"**How's Alice?" Her voice was back, but still sounded shaky.**

"**She's resting," he replied casually and walked toward her. It was his turn to look her over and Bella wondered how disheveled she appeared. She hadn't cleaned up since before they left, and she was sure that her hair was a rat's nest of tangles. Her clothes were wrinkled and she noticed that there was dried blood in several places. She didn't want to know whose blood it was.**

**Ignoring his scrutiny, she dared to speak.**

"**Will she be alright?" **

"**She'll be fine," he said. His voice reassuring. "She'll just need to rest for awhile. The hybrid bit to kill, not to change, so there was very little venom. It should work it's way through her system in a few days."**

**Bella nodded, even though he had giving her more information than was really needed, or understood. But she didn't let on to it.**

"**So, you're the fledgling who rules the hybrids," he said thoughtfully. "And, here, I thought that story was just a myth."**

"**Huh?" As soon as it was out of her mouth, she realized how stupid she sounded and blushed. **

"**Carlisle told me about you," he explained quickly, even though it didn't tell her much.**

"**But," she struggled to find the words. "I don't rule anything. I don't even feel in control of myself lately."**

**Jasper just smiled sweetly and chuckled at her words. "Maybe, you're right."**

**Bella got the feeling that he was just placating her, but didn't really care. She just looked at him, not knowing what to say.**

"**I was on my way to the kitchen to get something to eat," he said, to explain his presence. "Want to join me?"**

"**Sure, I guess," Bella said shrugging her shoulders. She hadn't eaten in awhile and was feeling a little hungry. **

**Jasper motioned for her to follow him into another room off the side of the dining room. She did. They entered a huge modern looking kitchen. All of the appliances were stainless steel and there was a huge center island done in ruby red tiles. The room didn't seem to match the rest of the house.**

**Jasper open the refrigerator and started piling a selection of sandwich meats, vegetables and cheese on the island. Not wanting to feel useless, Bella roamed around until she found a loaf of bread and a couple of plates. She returned with her discoveries to see that Jasper had also found a couple of cans of Coke.**

**They made their sandwiches in silence and ate standing up at the island. Jasper finished two in the time it took her to eat half of one. He took along swallow of Coke and looked at her intently.**

"**What?" Bella said between bites. She didn't like being watched so closely while she ate.**

"**I was just wondering how our boy, Edward, is doing with you around," he said sounding amused. "I'll bet you're driving him mad."**

**He seemed to find his thoughts funny and a slow smile raised the corners of his mouth. Bella failed to see the humor in his statement. **

"**Edward despises me," she said flatly, not elaborating on the statement.**

"**Oh, I doubt that." Jasper broke into a laugh then, and Bella glared at him not seeing any humor in the situation. She stayed silent and finished her sandwich. She figured that he could think whatever he wanted, he would find out the truth once he saw how Edward was around her.**

"**Where is he, anyway?" she asked, trying to sound like she really wasn't interested.**

**Jasper shrugged. "He's around here somewhere."**

**Just then another of thunder rolled overhead. Both Bella and Jasper cocked their heads like they were listening for something. Bella could hear the pounding of rain as it hit the roof and was shocked at how fast the drops seemed to hitting the house.**

"**It's a bad one," Jasper said. "We better find some candles and get them ready."**

**With that, the conversation ended and they began to put away the remaining food and search for candles. Bella found several long, white pillars in a side drawer and pulled them all out.**

"**Here," she said holding them out to Jasper. **

"**Good." He looked please that she had found them. "I'm going to go check on Alice, you should clean up. Your bag is by the door. It wasn't lost."**

**Bella blushed at his reference to her cleaning up. That must mean that she looked worse than she thought. She nodded and headed back through the dining room to the front of the house. Sure enough, several bags were witting there and she easily identified the one Alice had packed for her.**

**Picking it up, she turned to see Jasper heading up the stairs.**

"**Jasper?" she called before he was out of earshot.**

**He stopped on the stairs, and turned to look at her. His eyes were kind and understanding even though he had no way of knowing what she was going to ask.**

"**Where is Alice?" she asked quietly. "I would like to see her later."**

"**The room right across form you," he answered with a smile. Then he turned away, walked up the remaining steps, and turned the corner toward the bedrooms.**

**Bella sighed and also started up the steps. She hoped that she could find the bathroom without too much trouble. When she reached the top of the steps, she saw that she was concerned for nothing. The bathroom was right there, at the top of the stairs. She wondered how she had missed it before, and then reminded herself that she had been severely distracted the last time she had come up the stairs.**

**She went into the bathroom, closed the door, and tossed the duffel bag down by the sink. She walked over to it and stared at the reflection. It was the same face staring back but her hair was a mess and there were dark circles under her eyes. They made her pale skin look even more sickly. Turning on the water, she took a deep breath and splashed some water on to her face. **

**Bella decided that a quick shower would probably do her some good. She went over to the shower and turned the knob until the water ran hard and hot. Stripping off her soiled and bloody clothes, and pulling her hair out of the pony tail, she hopped in and let the water run over her.**

**She could hear the storm growing stronger outside, so she quickly washed herself and then shut off the water. Wrapping a towel around her, she stepped over to the bag and found a clean set of clothes. She found undergarments and a pair of faded jeans. She was more than a little annoyed to discover that Alice had packed nothing but figure hugging, girly shirts. Nothing that she would normally wear, and Bella had no choice but to put one on. She looked at her dirty clothes, picked them up and shoved them into the garbage. She didn't want them.**

**With a towel still wrapped around her hair, she grabbed the bags, opened the bathroom door, and hurried into the room that she had claimed. She found a brush and ripped it through her hair to get the tangle out. Instead of pulling it up, she left it loose and wet over her shoulders.**

**She wanted to see Alice and prove to herself that she was okay. Throwing the brush on one of the bedside tables she walked out of the room again. Jasper had said that she was in the room across from her, but the door was shut and she wasn't sure if she should just walk in or knock. She decided to walk in.**

**Bella opened the door and walked into the room. It was decorated almost exactly as hers was except the comforter was solid yellow. Alice was laying in the bed. She looked peaceful.**

**Bella walked over to her and saw that even in sleep, there were huge, bruise-like bags under her eyes. That's when it dawned on her, immortals didn't sleep. This was not right and Bella wondered if she was dead, or dying.**

"**You look better."**

**Bella jumped and saw that Jasper was sitting in the corner. It was the second time he had startled her.**

"**You need to stop doing that," she said, trying to sound annoyed. "You're going to give me a heart attack."**

**He laughed.**

"**And you should be more observant, Bella." His eyes twinkled as he said it.**

"**Why is she sleeping?" Bella decided to ignore his comment. "I though immortals didn't sleep."**

"**We don't," he said quietly. "But she has to heal. She's not sleeping like you do. Her body is fighting off the venom."**

**Bella nodded and looked back to Alice. She looked like she was sleeping to her.**

**Jasper got up and moved the other chair over to the bed. **

"**Thank you," she said gratefully.**

**He nodded. "I'm going to talk to Edward. You can stay as long as you like."**

**And he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.**

**Bella sat down in the chair and watched Alice. Her mind wandered, but mostly she thought about whether or not she was going to be okay. She really did like Alice. She liked all of them, even Edward, even though she was still muddled about why he disliked her so much. She hadn't done anything to him, in fact, she had gone out of her way, several times, not to upset him.**

**Her thoughts went around and around, and soon she found that her eyelids were getting heavy. The chair was uncomfortable, but she didn't want to leave Alice alone. **

**She looked at Alice's small frame in the bed, and thought that there was more than enough room for her to lie down next to her, that way, she wouldn't be alone. Bella got up and walked to the other side of the bed. Very gently, she laid herself down, careful not to jostle her. She noticed that the bite mark on her neck was terrible shades of black, blue and red and she felt guilty that Alice had suffered to protect her.**

**Yawning, she closed her eyes and let herself drift into sleep. The storm had gotten even worse, but the noise of the rain, thunder and wind lulled her to sleep.**

**She didn't get to sleep for very long. A loud clap shook the house and roused Bella awake. She opened her eyes to see that the power was off and the room was completely dark. The darkness didn't scare her. There was just enough light to make out the basic shapes of everything around her.**

"**Jasper," she called quietly, not sure if he had come back to the room or not.**

**She got no answer and assumed that he was still someplace with Edward. **

**Bella groaned as she forced herself up and got out of the bed. She looked around in the light to try to find the candles that she had found earlier. They weren't in there. Glancing at Alice, Bella told herself that she would be fine alone while she went and found some.**

**She walked softly to the door and opened it. She immediately could her male voices talking. She couldn't make out the words, but knew that it was Edward and Jasper. Walking into the hallway she headed for the stairs. She remembered that there was a curio cabinet downstairs near the living room, and thought that there might be candles and matches in it.**

**She went to stairs and slowly went down. It was dark enough that Bella wanted to make sure she took every step. She didn't need to break her leg being stupid. After a minute, she made it to the bottom step. She heard the men talking and realized that they must be in the living room. **

"**How bad is it?" Edward asked Jasper in a worried tone.**

"**It was split," Jasper replied sadly. "That route is out now."**

"**There has be another somewhere." Bella was surprised by the panic in Edwards voice. She hadn't heard him sound like this before, and knew that, whatever they were discussing, was terrifying him.**

"**If there is, I don't know where," Jasper said trying to calm him down. "Not near here. I know this property very well. It was the only one on the land."**

"**Fuck, Jasper," Edward cursed. "What are we going to do?"**

**Bella walked into the room. "What's wrong?"**

**Both men looked up at her. Jasper with pity, Edward with annoyance.**

"**The willow tree was hit," Jasper told her. "We're stuck here."**

"**Is that so bad?" Bella didn't immediately grasp the seriousness of the situation. "I mean, when the storm clears, we can take the truck to find another."**

**They just looked at her and Bella knew that she was missing something important.**

"**Bella," Jasper whispered. "We don't have any blood."**

**She gasped and understood fully why Edward was panicked. They were stuck in the middle of no where, with a half vampire who needed blood, and no way to get any until the storm passed and no body knew when that would be. This was a big problem.**

**She didn't know what to say. There wasn't anything she could say. Bella walked over to the curio cabinet and opened the first drawer to look for the candles she had originally come down for.**

"**What are you doing?" Edward snapped at her.**

**Turning to give him her dirtiest look, she just answered, "I need candles. There is no light up there." She went back to searching.**

"**Are you crazy?" Edward really yelled at her this time. "I think we have bigger problems than light right now!"**

"_**You **_**have bigger problems," she snapped. "I am going back upstairs to stay with Alice. You'll figure out something, I'm sure."**

**Bella wasn't going to put up with him. Not now. Somewhere between getting kidnapped, finding out that the world was full of dying beings, watching her classmate get beheaded, and Alice getting hurt to protect her; she had found a source of strength. She wasn't sure where it came from, but she could feel it.**

"**Bitch!" Edward got up and began to move toward her. **

**Bella snapped around to face him. "Back off!" she barked and surprisingly, he stopped. He didn't move another step and she was shocked that he didn't. She really expected him to come over, threaten her and possibly man handle her again. Instead, he had stopped in mid step and was now moving back to sit on the couch and glare at her.**

**Jasper watched in silence. He took in the entire scene in without comment. Bella glanced over toward him and noticed that he was amused.**

"**I suppose you find this entire thing funny, don't you?" She didn't really mean to sound so awful toward him, but she did not understand how he could sit there and laugh at this.**

"**Actually, I do, Bella," he said without a trace of remorse. "You would too, if you could see what I see."**

"**And pray tell, what do you see?" she snapped right back. "I would love a reason to enjoy this. God knows I could use some humor after the last few days that I've had."**

"**You really don't know what you're doing do you?" He said it like a rhetorical question, so she didn't answer, she just stood there fuming.**

"**Edward, you know, don't you?" he continued. This time looking at Edward. "You've known for awhile. Tell me, did you figure it out before or after you took her?"**

"**After," Edward answered so softly that Bella had barely heard him. She looked at him to see that he was staring at the floor, not looking at either of him.**

"**What the hell are you talking about?" Bella was really getting angry, and she was sick to death of people talking circles around her. She just wanted a straight answer for once.**

**Jasper looked at her for a moment before speaking, trying to gage her reaction. He sighed and the humor left his face.**

"**I told you earlier," he began and focused his eyes on her so she would know that he was serious. "You rule the hybrids."**

**Bella wasn't sure what this meant. She did remember him saying that earlier but thought that he was just rambling. She hadn't taken him seriously at the time, but as she looked at him, she realized that he was serious. He was not joking.**

**When she didn't respond, he spoke again.**

"**Sit down," he said. "I will tell you what I know."**

"**What about Alice," Bella blurted, she wasn't sure if she would be able to sit still right now.**

"**Edward can sit with her."**

**Bella looked at both men, trying to decide what the best thing to do was. She wanted to be with Alice, but how could she refuse Jasper. There was no good reason, and Jasper apparently thought that it was important that she talk with him.**

**Edward made up her mind for her. He reached over and grabbed two candles from a table on the other side of the couch and stood up. Jasper nodded at him as he left them room, making sure he took the path that kept him from coming too close to Bella. He glared at her as he passed, and walked up the stairs without a word.**

**Bella watched him leave. She was suddenly sorry that she was so mean to him. She had seen how worried he was about the lack of blood around, and had totally disregarded it, goading him into arguing with her. Now that she was calming down, she felt the loss of his presence deeply.**

"**Come and sit down, Bella." Jasper broke the silence. With a last look at the stairs, she sighed and went to sit down.**

"**I can tell, as much as you can, that you and Edward have a journey to make together," he said looking at her intensely. "I'm just not sure where that journey will lead."**

**He reflected to himself for a moment on his observations.**

"**How do you know this stuff?" Bella asked. She was surprised that he picked up on the confusing relationship between her and Edward when no one else had.**

"**When you live as long as I have," he said smiling. "You learn to understand your surroundings."**

"**How long have you lived?" She was curious about his age and hoped he would tell her.**

**Smiling, he said, "I have walked over six hundred years on the earth."**

**Her mouth dropped open. She couldn't even imagine six hundred years, and he had lived it.**

"**That's how I recognized you," he went on. "And what you are. We have been waiting for you for a long time."**

"**What am I?" It seemed the appropriate response, and she wondered what he could be thinking when he saw her.**

"**Along time ago, we lived with and were worshipped by the mortals. We lived side by side and we used our gifts to help them. After a time, though, they grew jealous and sought a way to destroy us. They designed the hybrids, the reanimated dead, to destroy us."**

"**Carlisle told me this," Bella said, proud that she recalled Carlisle's story so well. "He told me that the mortal's sight was taken away to protect them from the vampires."**

"**Good, I'm glad you know the basics of the story. Did he tell you that we also struggle trying to find a way to survive them?"**

**Bella nodded her head.**

**Jasper went on. "When we realized what the hybrids were and what they could do, several of us began to dedicate our lives to finding out how to stop them. We searched, studied, and even prayed to the gods to send us an answer."**

"**You have gods?" This shocked her. She didn't expect to be discussing religion. It wasn't a strong point for her. Her parents were never religious and the only time she had ever been in a church was for a few weddings and funerals. Even then, her family just went for appearance sake, they never actually practiced anything.**

"**Bella, we existed when God created man," he said. "We have always been. We are just another of God's children."**

**He went on. "There was one among us, Caius, who was gifted with visions. He joined us on our quest to find a way to defeat the hybrids. He was the one who had the vision foretelling of you. This was years ago. Until Carlisle contacted me with news of a new fledgling who exhibited some unusual gifts, I had thought his predictions were just the ramblings of a crazy man, frustrated with dead ends."**

"**Where is Caius?" Bella asked wondering if he really did have a vision of her or if Jasper was mistaken.**

"**He's dead," he said bowing his head. "He died, helping us capture some hybrids for study."**

"**Oh, I'm sorry." she said sadly. "What did he see?"**

**Jasper looked at her and smiled. "He saw a fledgling who would have the ability to control the hybrids and heal us. He said that the hybrids would always be, just as we are, but they could be controlled by the Amaranthine who could command them at will, and that we would find peace again."**

**Bella reflected on what he said and instantly knew that this vision was about her. She could feel it in her soul and knew it was true. She also knew that there was more, that Jasper wasn't telling her, but didn't push for more information. Instead, she had another thought.**

"**Edward knew this about me?" She wondered why nothing had been said before.**

"**My dear," Jasper said with a sly look. "Edward is part hybrid, you control him too."**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Healed

Bella and Jasper sat staring at each other, absorbed in their individual thoughts. Jasper was taking in Bella's reaction, where Bella was trying to process what he had told her.

She was the fledgling that the immortal, Caius, had a vision about. This meant that she was destined to become one of them and, supposedly, save the race. She wasn't sure where this was going to lead her, except that her already limited choices were getting fewer by the day.

What if she chose not to make the change? What would happen then? She thought of Alice, laying up in that room, with a huge bite in her neck. She had been willing to die for her. She had put herself on the line to keep her safe.

Bella was confused. These were the people who had caused so much turmoil in her life. Had she never seen them, where would she be? What would she be like? She wondered if she had ever had a choice. Vampires had been living in Forks, which meant that sooner or later, she would have crossed their path.

The storm raged outside. Every few seconds, the room would light up from the flashes of lightning and the house would shake with the rumbling of thunder. The wind howled aggressively, causing the windows and doors to shake from the vibration. Several times, the cracks were so loud that it sounded like the surrounding trees were taking a beating.

Bella didn't notice any of this. She was absorbed in her thoughts and the idea that not only did she have the ability to control vampires, she had some sort of power over Edward.

"Bella," Jasper broke the silence, to get her attention.

She blinked her eyes a few times and tried to focus on his face. Although she had been looking right at him, was hadn't been seeing him.

"Yeah," she said softly, slowly returning to reality.

"Do you understand now?" he asked in a gentle tone. "That is why Edward has been struggling so much. He can feel you every moment. He can feel what you want, and it's driving him mad."

"But, I haven't asked anything of him," Bella protested. She wouldn't let herself feel the blame for his behavior.

Jasper smiled with some inside knowledge. "Do you think that you have to?"

He turned to reposition his body toward her, picking up her hand, and squeezing it reassuringly. "He can feel everything you desire and want, whether it is vocalized or not."

Bella let him hold her hand. She thought about this for a moment, and blushed as a multitude of memories poured into her mind. She wondered if he had felt everything.

"Did he tell you this?" Bella asked, hoping that there was a possibility that Jasper was wrong, that Edward was just an asshole, and not struggling because of her.

"He didn't have to. It's obvious," he said, and Bella felt her hopes rise. "But yes, he did admit to me the internal struggle he was having."

Her hopes instantly shattered. He had told Jasper, and now she knew that he was aware of how she felt around him. How was she going to face him again? At the same time, another thought came into her head. Something that Carlisle had told her before.

"Jasper," she began softly. "Carlisle told me that you were trying to find a way to cure him. If you did, then I wouldn't have the same affect on him, would I?"

It seemed a little far fetched, but she was grasping. She didn't relish in the idea that Edward felt her feelings, had to do whatever she commanded of him, and thought there had to be a way to fix this.

"I am," Jasper said, but the look in his eye was disappointing. "The problem is, there has never been a creature like Edward. This is completely new territory for me. I don't even know what I am looking for."

"But you must have some ideas," she said encouragingly.

Jasper shook his head. "Bella, we're not even sure exactly what traits he shares with each race. We're still learning. Your arrival has been most interesting, because it confirms the link he has with other, full hybrids, but I don't know where to even start."

Bella hung her head. Until Jasper figured out how to cure him, she would have a measure of control over him.

"You may be able to help me," Jasper said looking at her intently.

"Me?" she asked confused. She didn't know how she could help. Edward didn't even like her.

"You can feel him, can't you?" he looked at her as if he was reading her soul. "You know him as none of the rest of us do."

"I don't." she stammered and then swallowed and tried again. "I don't know anything about him."

Jasper smiled again. His face really lit up when he did, and Bella wondered what he was thinking.

"You have a lot to learn," he said almost humorously. "I forget that. Well, we'll just have to see what happens, won't we?"

Bella didn't answer. Jasper was exasperating. One minute he was wise and caring, the next he was cynical and cryptic. She just rolled her eyes and turned to look at the stairs.

"How long do you think that Alice will be out?" she asked changing the subject.

"She should be coming around soon," he said looking at the stairs too. "Come on, we should check on her."

He stood up and offered his hand to help her up. She looked up at him before taking it.

"Will it be okay, with Edward up there?"

She was worried. He was on verge of attacking her earlier and she had to command him to stop. She wondered if this was going to be the norm for their relationship and thought that this would make the time they spent here very long and tiring.

"That will be up to you two," Jasper answered, not helping her in the least.

Bella gave him an annoyed look, but took his hand. She wasn't looking forward to confronting Edward again, but figured that, at least, she could keep anything from getting too bad.

They walked up the stairs together silently. At the top, Bella saw that the door was closed to the room where Alice was. She hesitated, but Jasper didn't. He just walked confidently to the door, opened it and waited for her to go in.

Taking a deep breath she walked in to the room, wishing she had the confidence that Jasper had, that there wasn't anything to worry about.

The two candles that Edward had brought up were lit, and placed on each of the tables beside the bed. He was sitting in the corner of the room with his head in his hand. He looked up when Bella entered the room and she felt her pulse speed up when their eyes met, and instantly felt embarrassed wondering if he knew.

He didn't say anything. He just watched her. She noticed that there was no menace in his gaze, only curiosity. She found herself wondering what was going through his mind and then stopped herself immediately. She had to concentrate, and not think anything that might be construed as a want.

She took a deep breath, averted her eyes and walked to the chair beside the bed. Jasper had found another chair and went to sit next to Edward. She noticed, through her peripheral vision, that they were having a very quiet conversation. Bella couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, which surprised her, but instead of trying, she focused her attention on Alice.

Bella was please to see that, in the candle light, it appeared that some of her color had returned and the shadows under her eyes had faded. She breathed easily and her chest fell and rose in soft waves.

Alice's hand was laying on top of the comforter and Bella softly grabbed it. She closed her eyes and willed her to be okay. She sat there, eyes closed, concentrating on Alice. She didn't hear him get up and move towards her. She didn't know he was there, until she felt his hand softly on her shoulder and heard his voice.

"Bella."

She turned her head before opening her eyes. When she did, Edward was right next to her, with his hand resting on her shoulder. Jasper was standing on his other side. He was staring at her with a purely surprised look, that wasn't natural on his beautiful face.

If Bella hadn't felt the heat from Edward's touch burn through the thin material of her shirt and down through her body, she would have confronted Jasper about the ogling. As it was, Edward drew her attention, he looked at her intently, as if he knew her reaction, and then moved his gaze to Alice.

"She's awake," he said, and Bella could hear the relief in his voice.

She whipped her head toward the bed, momentarily embarrassed for the distraction, and saw Alice's clear amber eyes looking up at her. She smiled, and Bella could feel moisture behind her eyes when she saw that she was alert. She was going to be fine.

Alice squeezed her hand, and then looked at both Jasper and Edward. She shifted a little and Jasper moved to help her sit up. Bella let go of her hand so that she could readjust her body into a sitting position. Alice winced as she moved, but made no sound, and Bella worried that maybe it was too soon for her to be sitting up, but Jasper continued to let her move.

The storm still raged outside and shook the house with the fierce wind. It was loud in the silence of the room.

Alice looked at each of them again, as if taking in the scene and then her eyes widened as they fell on Edward.

"Edward," she said weakly. "You need…"

"I'm fine," he interrupted before she finished the words. "Don't worry."

Alice's eyes narrowed, but she didn't argue. Bella made a point not to look at either of the men and just concentrated on Alice, but she could feel the tension that radiated from them. None of them wanted to worry Alice with the whole lack of blood issue. They would deal with it.

"How do you feel?" Jasper asked, placing a hand on her cheek.

"I'm fine," she said tiredly. "But Edward doesn't look so good."

She wasn't going to let it go. Bella remembered Esme telling them to take care of Edward, and Alice must really have taken that serious. She was obviously very concerned about the way Edward looked.

Bella turned to look at him too. She wasn't sure what Alice saw that had her so concerned, but looking at him, she noticed what she had ignored before. He was pale. His eyes had dark rings under them, but it was his eyes that shocked her. The once honey color had been replaced with red. They seemed to glow in the candle lit room. Bella wondered how she had missed that before.

Edward turned away from both of them, like he didn't want them looking any closer, and stomped back over to the chair in the corner and sat down heavily.

"I told you," he growled at Alice. "I'm fine."

He then shot daggers at Bella. She knew instantly that he didn't want her concern or for her to say anything about the blood issue.

She flinched and turned back to Alice and Jasper. She was looking at him now, worry clearly spelled in her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked Jasper with wide eyes. Alice knew something was wrong and stared at him waiting for an answer.

Jasper took in a deep breath. "Lightning struck the willow."

Alice nodded, and Bella saw understanding in her eyes. She knew immediately what had to be explained to her. She was still staring at Jasper.

"What about Bella?" she asked, and Bella instantly focused her attention on them.

"What about me?" Bella said this a little loud, and Jasper shot her a look that said to calm down.

She looked back and forth between Alice and Jasper, she even glanced at Edward to see that his mouth was hanging open like he couldn't believe what had just been asked. Bella knew he understood exactly what Alice had been asking.

"That's up to her," Jasper finally replied, but to Alice and not Bella. "It won't be suggested, let's just see how it turns out. Maybe the storm will pass quickly."

"What's up to me?" Bella said through her teeth. She was careful to keep her voice steady and low but her annoyance was obvious.

"Nothing," Jasper said, and then dismissed the topic by bending over Alice to probe at the bite at her neck. Alice sucked in a breath when her touched a particularly tender spot.

"No," Bella said forcibly. She was tired of this, and someone was going to answer her. "What is up to me, Jasper?"

Jasper sat up and looked at her. His eyes held knowledge that only one who had lived for centuries could obtain.

"Bella," he started quietly. "Do you really think that I owe you any type of explanation? Time will tell, you must be patient."

Bella's jaw snapped shut. Even though he had spoken in no more than a whisper, the tone was unyielding. He was telling her that, under no circumstances, was he going to tell her anything until he decided it was necessary.

She moved her eyes between Alice, Edward and Jasper. Seeing the same resolve in all of them, she stood up, knocking the chair to the floor, and left the room slamming the door behind her.

She stood in the hallway trying to call herself down. She'd had enough of everybody talking around her, like she was a pet of theirs or like she was too young and fragile to comprehend anything that might be going on.

Taking a deep breath, she crossed the hall into her room. Shutting the door behind her, she walked over to the window and looked outside. The sky was black and the rain was falling in sheets. Trees that had been standing only hours ago, were now laying in twisted piles all around the house. It wasn't letting up, it was only getting worse.

Lightning cracked, and through the second of light, Bella thought that the storm was a good metaphor for how she was feeling. Her world was falling apart. Things that once had been were being picked up and scattered all over the place, and there was no end in sight for the darkness enveloping the area. But strangely, every now and then, a brilliant light would flash and she was able to see clearly. If only for a moment.

She shook her head and moved away from the window. Sighing deeply, she looked at the bed and decided to lay down. She went and sat on the edge of the bed. Slowly she slipped off the jeans and kicked them into a corner. Bella remembered seeing an oversized t-shirt in the bag and went to retrieve it. She slipped it on and it hung almost to her knees.

Climbed into bed, she tried to relax, but she couldn't. There was too much spinning through her head. Frustrated, she forced her eyes closed and turned over to lay on her side facing the door.

After some time, she drifted into a trouble sleep.

When she awoke, light was streaming through the window. She wasn't sure how long she had slept, but it was obviously sometime in the middle of the day and the storm must have passed. She slid up and slowly got out of bed. Standing up she glanced out the window and gasped.

Trees were down everywhere and broken branches littered the small yard around the house. She had expected that. What caused her surprise was the inch of ice that coated everything. It was glorious and frightening at the same time. The sunlight reflected and shone off of every surface. The ice acted like prisms and sparkles of brilliant color danced in the distance.

Making herself look away, she opened the bedroom door and padded softly to the bathroom. She went in, splashed some cold water on her face and relieved herself. Straightening out her long hair, she exited into the hallway.

She could hear soft voices coming from downstairs and smelled bacon. Her stomach growled in hunger and, thinking that she was fully covered, headed down the stairs.

She turned toward the dining room and saw Jasper and Alice sitting at the table eating. They had been talking until she walked into the room. Then they both went quiet and looked at her. Alice's face lit up with a huge smile when she saw her and Bella felt relieved that she was well enough to come down and eat.

"How are you?" Belled asked. She went to the table and sat down beside her. The bite mark was still nasty and bruised, but all of the swelling and redness was gone.

"Great," she replied happily. "Hungry? Of course you are. Jasper, make her a plate please?"

She beamed a flirty smile at him. He nodded and got up, his gaze lingering on Bella for an extra moment before leaving the room.

"So, are you okay?" Alice asked her. Her voice was lower than it had been before, like she was asking a secret.

Bella shrugged. She really didn't know how she was. Until Alice asked her, she hadn't really thought about anything but the weather, and now, it all came flooding back and it hit her like a freight train.

"I don't know." Bella's voice was just as quiet and she hung her head a little so that Alice didn't get a good look at her. She knew her eyes betrayed more than she was ready to talk about right now.

Alice looked like she was going to say something, but Jasper returned to the room with a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. He also had a tall glass of orange juice that he put in front of her.

"Ahhh. Thanks," Bella choked out.

Jasper slowly smiled. "Not a problem, Bella." He didn't take his eyes off of her. He watched her intently.

"I trust you slept well?" he politely asked.

"Fine." Her voice was clipped.

Alice looked at both of them, appearing confused.

"Am I missing something here?"

Jasper turned to her and, Bella noticed that, his face softened.

"Not at all," he said sweetly. "Bella and I got acquainted last night, that's all. Right Bella?"

Bella shoved a fork full of eggs into her mouth so she wouldn't have to answer and just nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Alice said dragging out the word in a fashion that told them both 'I don't believe a word you just said but, whatever'.

Bella glanced at her, but continued to eat. The food was good and her empty stomach welcomed every bite she took. Too soon she was done. She picked up her plate and took it to the kitchen to stuff in the dishwasher.

When she went back to the dining room, Jasper was gone.

"Where did he go?" she asked Alice who was still seated, waiting for her.

"He said he was going to check on Edward and then find out if he could get out of here."

Alice looked at Bella and she caught a glimpse of worry in her eyes. She assumed she was thinking about Edward.

"Can he take the truck?" Bella wasn't going to ask about Edward yet.

"We're not sure," Alice said sadly. "Have you looked outside. I don't know of anyone is going anywhere."

Bella nodded. She had seen the ice but it hadn't occurred to her that it would hinder their ability to leave. As she thought about it, she realized that, it was indeed a problem.

"Come on," Alice got up and gestured to her. "Let's go upstairs, there's nothing to do down here."

"Alright." Bella wasn't sure what there was to do upstairs either, but hanging out with Alice would be better than sitting alone in her room.

They left the dining room and were half way up the stairs when the front door opened and Jasper walked in. They both turned to look at him.

"The truck is a lost cause," he said slightly out of breath. "I'm going to make a run for the nearest town to get…ummm…some supplies."

Bella instantly knew; 'supplies' equaled blood for Edward, but she didn't say anything.

"How far?" Alice asked plainly understanding what supplies Jasper was after too.

"About ninety miles."

Alice and Bella both sucked in their breath at the same time.

"That'll take hours!" Alice exclaimed. "Does he even have that long?"

"Alice, we don't have a choice," he said looking at both of them with complete honesty.

"What if he…"

"You'll figure it out," Jasper interrupted Alice. "You'll be okay. It has to be done."

With that, he reopened the door and took off outside.

"Alice," Bella said softly and a little nervously. "Will it really be okay? For Edward?"

Alice just shrugged and began the ascent up the stairs. Bella followed reluctantly.

They went into Alice's room and Bella left the door open. Alice sat on the bed and Bella joined her on the other side.

Alice looked at Bella for a moment before speaking.

"What did Jasper tell you?"

Bella was a little shocked at her being so blunt. The look on her face was curious and Bella got the distinct feeling that she was merely curious. She took a deep breath.

"He told me of another immortal, Caius, who had a vision of me," she told her.

"He told you of the vision?" He voice was incredulous.

"Yes," Bella said a little surprised at her reaction. "You know about it?"

"A little," Alice looked around her even though nobody else was around. "Caius was Esme's brother."

"Really?" Bella was a little shocked. "Does that mean that Esme knows about the vision too?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah. She knew about all of his visions. She told Carlisle about you the moment Edward brought you, even though Carlisle was skeptical, but after Edward…"

Bella jerked her head up. "After Edward? What about him?"

"Caius had visions about him too," Alice sighed. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, but…I think she would want _you _to know, considering…"

Alice knew more than she was saying but didn't finish. It was as if she didn't want to put certain thoughts into words.

"Does Jasper know about the visions of Edward?" Bella wasn't sure why, but she needed to know.

"No," Alice said quickly. "Just Esme. And me. She told me once when we were alone. I guess Caius confided to her regularly before he died and Esme needed to tell someone to get it off her shoulders. So, she told me."

"What was it?" Bella asked in expectation. She didn't know why, but her pulsed raced and her blood flowed quickly through her, her body knew that this was something of great importance.

"We know how to heal him."


	12. Chapter 12 Pain

Chapter Twelve

Pain

"What?" Bella exclaimed in complete shock. "Esme can heal him?"

"No," Alice corrected. "She cannot heal him. Don't you think that she would have a long time ago if she could?"

Bella rolled her eyes. Alice should have known that wasn't exactly what she meant, and she had a difficult time believing that Esme and Alice knew what could help Edward and hadn't acted on it.

"But she knows how, right?"

"A theory," Alice went on. "Caius had a vision. Actually, it was more like a prophecy. But either way, she thinks it is the answer to Edward's…umm… little problem."

"Well, let's have it."

"It's not that simple," she said looking at her nails in distraction. "I think that we need Esme here to explain it. I'd probably get it all wrong."

"Edward's somewhere in this house," Bella argued. "Pining for blood to the point of distraction, and you want to wait for Esme?"

Bella didn't understand why Alice wasn't jumping at a chance to help him. It didn't make sense.

"Bella," she began slowly, thinking about her words. "There's nothing that we can do. The vision is of a series of events that must occur. We can't force any of it. There's nothing we can do until things start to happen, and even then, we can only guide the choices people have to make. I only tell you this so you know that there is hope. That maybe you guys can move past this difficulty you have with each other."

Bella looked at Alice intently and speculated about how much of the whole control issue she was aware of.

"Has Edward said anything to you…about me?" Bella tentatively asked.

Alice smiled and looked at her. "In what way?"

She had a twinkle in her eye, and from the sound of her voice, Bella feared that she was trying to play match maker.

"Probably not in the way you're thinking," Bella said and she couldn't help laughing a little. "Edward doesn't like me. I know that. I was talking about the vampire control thing."

Alice pouted a little. "He doesn't hate you, Bella."

"I didn't say, I thought he hated me. I said that he didn't like me." Bella said like the distinguishment made a huge difference.

"Well, he doesn't not like you either." Alice rolled her eyes as she said this and looked at Bella with complete sincerity. "He's afraid of you."

"What? No. That doesn't make sense."

Bella knew that Edward couldn't be afraid of her. She was small and weak. Edward was powerful and confident and…She then thought of the way she made him stop attacking her. She did have power over him, she just hadn't known until yesterday.

Alice was looking at Bella, watching her facial expressions.

"You know," she said softly. "You really don't need to be Carlisle to know what you're thinking."

Bella raised an eye brow at her, but said nothing.

"Really, it's your eyes. You let everything show through."

"Not on purpose," Bella whispered, dropping her gaze to the ground.

"Edward has known for awhile, Bella." Alice calmly said, and placed her hand on her knee. "He told me he felt it the night he took you, but didn't understand though, until he spoke with Esme. Then he locked himself in his room. He felt your pain, your confusion, and it took all Esme had to keep him from forcing his way into your room and taking you back to your mortal family, because that's what you wanted."

"Why didn't anyone say anything? I mean, didn't Carlisle know?"

"Yes, but you're destined to be one of us. Your life there was over," Alice said with a shrug. "It was for the best that you didn't go back."

Bella thought about her last statement. It was more true than Alice even knew. Her life with her family ended when her father died. It just took Edward stepping in and bringing her to this new life, for her to realize and admit it.

"Why didn't they tell me about the control I had over him," she said thinking about the pond and controlling Mike through it. "It would have at least explained a few things."

"No one knew if it was just Edward or not," she said. "He is different. We had no way of knowing that it wasn't just Edward lusting after you or something."

"He lusts after me?" This was news to Bella and she had a hard time believing it.

"God, you really don't pay attention to anything do you?" Alice said with exasperation.

"Umm…Kind of had a lot going on. Or didn't you notice?" Bella was annoyed. Jasper had basically said the same thing about her and she didn't think she was that thick headed.

Alice shrugged again and said, "He desires your blood, Bella. This is the first time he has had to fight with the hybrid in him."

This revelation shocked and scared Bella. Edward wanted her blood. That made him dangerous to her.

"Why did he come here with us then?" Bella shakily asked. "I mean Carlisle or Esme could have easily protected me, too."

"Yeah, they probably could have," Alice agreed. "But Edward wouldn't hear it. By that time, he was beginning to understand what you could do and feared that, even with the distance, he would feel you. That wouldn't have been good."

"That's why Esme was so worried about him," Bella said to herself more than to Alice. It made sense to her now.

"Some things have started that we will never be able to go back from. We just have to wait and see how they play out."

Bell remained quiet. Alice sounded more like Jasper just then, than herself, and a shiver went down her spine.

The silence between them was uncomfortable for Bella. She could feel Alice's eyes on her, waiting for her to say something about her last comment. She knew that she should have said something, but no words came to her. She thought about Carlisle and Esme. They both knew about her and said nothing. She assumed that they had a good reason for keeping all of this to themselves, but it would have helped to understand why Edward was so asinine towards her.

She began to think about Edward. Where was he? She knew he was still in the house and was suffering. Part of her wanted to help, to ease his pain. He was suffering because he had wanted to help her get away from Mike Newton, but then again, he had made the choice. He could have let Carlisle or Esme come instead and then he would at home, with plenty of blood to ease his hurt. That at least would have solved most of the problems they had now.

Thinking about him, she felt an ache in her chest and her throat began to burn. As much as she thought about it, she didn't want him to suffer, just like she hadn't wanted Alice to suffer and she wished that there was something that she could do.

She realized that the longer she thought about Edward, the more her throat hurt. She even wondered if this is what he felt like, but didn't keep that thought for very long because a severe dryness in her mouth began. She was thirsty. She licked her lips and even her tongue felt swollen and thick.

"Alice, I need a drink," she choked out. Even her voice sounded strange, strained and thick.

"Are you okay?" Alice looked at her with worried eyes. She had heard the awfulness in her voice too.

"I don't know. I feel…strange."

Sweat broke out on her forehead and a pain shot across her temple like someone was squeezing her head in a vise. It made her dizzy and she had a difficult time thinking straight. Even her vision seemed blurred, everything was fuzzy and seemed to have a red tint. She reached up and rubbed her head and eyes. Something was happening to her.

"Alice," she gasped in panic. "Something's wrong."

"Lay down," Alice said pushing her onto the bed. "I'll be right back."

Bella didn't fight her or argue. She lay on the bed and curled up into a fetal position. The pain was spreading throughout her entire body and getting more intense with each breath. She could feel her heart pounding and every breath she took ripped through her throat like daggers.

What was happening? She had been fine a minute ago.

Bella fought the urge to scream. She tried to focus on relaxing her body, but it didn't seem to help. The pain just continued to wrack havoc on her senses. She was hyper focusing on everything and it wouldn't stop. She lost the battle and a piercing scream escaped her throat.

Alice raced up the stairs when she heard Bella's scream and burst into the room, slamming the door without thinking, behind her. She was carrying a pitcher of water and a glass. There was a dish towel wrapped around her neck.

"Bella," she cried. 'What's going on?"

Bella heard her voice and saw her hovering over her, but could not find the energy or will to speak. All she knew was pain. Pain was washing over her and enveloped every sense, every thought, and every movement.

Alice took the dish towel and wet it down. The cool water felt good on Bella's head and helped her focus a little.

"Edward," his named slipped from her lips.

"He's not…" Alice stopped as the door was suddenly flung open.

Bella forced her eyes to focus and looked toward the door. Edward was standing there, looking concerned and furious at the same time. He strode over to the bed.

"What did you do?" His voice was a growl and he glared right at Bella.

She just closed her eyes and moaned. She couldn't speak. Everything hurt too much to even try, and she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would lose control and scream again.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" Alice questioned. He voice was high and strained. Bella wondered if Alice was going to pass out from stress. The effects of the bite, still made her weak and her voice betrayed her unsteadiness.

Edward ignored her completely. He reached down and put both of his hands on Bella's shoulders and roughly shook her. The touch of his hand made her focus on the pain in her shoulders and it burst forth with a new vengeance. Bella heard herself whimpering, but couldn't figure out how to stop. He was hurting her more than he knew.

"Edward! Stop!" Alice screamed and got up and tried to push him out of the way and off of Bella. Edward shooed her off like an annoying bug, pushing her away. Alice stumble back, tripped over the chair, and landed on her butt next to him. He shook Bella again.

"Open your eyes, damn it," he hissed at her. "I know you can hear me."

Bella painfully forced her eyes open, not because she wanted to give the satisfaction of obeying his orders, but because she was afraid of what he would do to Alice if she tried to stop him again.

He looked into her eyes for a moment and Bella felt him relax his hold on her shoulders a bit. After a moment, he completely let go and sank into the chair that Alice had been in. Alice was crouched on the floor near him, her eyes wide with panic and fear.

"Why, Bella?" he asked, his voice sounded like it was going to break. "Why did you do it?"

Bella just stared at him. What did she do? The pain was building again and she was afraid of passing out from the intensity of it. She licked her dry lips again, tried to swallow, and find the words to explain.

"What did she do?" It was Alice's voice and asked before Bella could. She had risen to her knees and was sitting right at Edward's side. She placed her hand in his and Bella saw that he let her hold it.

"She took it," he whispered, still looking at Bella. His voice wavered and she actually thought that he might cry, but he didn't. He held his stoic gaze.

"Took it?" Alice asked in confusion. "What did she take?"

Edward just stared at Bella. His eyes bored into hers with understanding. He knew exactly what she was feeling. He knew how she was suffering and Bella knew this without a doubt.

"It's not permanent, Bella. It will pass."

He took his free hand and grabbed hers. Through the pain, she felt him. She felt the heat from his touch and for a moment, it seemed like the pleasure would rule out in her body. It didn't though. Another wave of pain leapt through her body, making her suck in her breath and tears roll out of her eyes. She squeezed them tight, hoping that neither Edward or Alice noticed.

"I can still feel it," he continued to Bella. "It's just a reprieve."

Without letting go of her hand, Edward turned to Alice. "She's giving me relief. She took the pain from me."

There was no sound from either of them and Bella forced her eyes open to see what had happened. Edward was still focused on her but Alice's eyes were wide and full of shock. She was staring at Edward.

"What?" Alice forced out. "How? Are you still…?"

She didn't finish her thought. She was staring into Edward's eyes. Bella looked as well and saw what Alice saw, that his eyes were still tinged with red. He was still a vampire.

Edward released Alice's hand and moved to wrap his arm around her shoulders and move her close. It was a soft and intimate gesture and Bella found herself envious for a moment. The feeling only lasted a moment because the pain reclaimed her focus and forced her to close her eyes and moan.

"No," Edward said to Alice. "She just took the pain."

"But how?"

"I don't know," he admitted. His voice was still soft. "I felt her. She was calling me somehow, and then it was gone. I heard her scream, and I knew what she had done."

They both went silent then. Bella tried to reflect on what Edward had said but she was too absorbed in the pain. Her body was starting to shake and tremble, and the additional movements made the pain worse. She didn't stop the tears from falling through her closed eyes but did manage to keep from screaming.

One of their hands brushed the wet hair back from her forehead. It had to be Alice. The hand was too small to be Edward's and he hadn't released hers yet. Bella didn't chance opening her eyes.

"How bad is it?" Alice asked in a whisper.

"She's suffering horribly," Edward whispered back. "Where's Jasper?"

"He went to find you blood."

Bella heard Edward take a deep breath. "Bella, you shouldn't have done this."

This brought a new wave of tears on top of the one's caused by the pain. Did he really think that she knew what she was doing?

"Edward, stay here with her," Alice said suddenly. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Bella thought she heard panic in his voice and she wondered if he was afraid to be alone with her.

"I have to talk to Esme."

"Esme!" he barked at her. "What the hell is she going to be able to do?"

"Edward," she said kindly. "Trust me."

Bella heard Alice moving, the door open and then close again. She was alone with Edward.

She was surprised when she felt the cold rag dragged over her forehead and chanced opening her eyes. The act didn't cause her more pain, but it didn't make it go away either. Edward was watching her with concerned eyes and Bella was glad he wasn't angry anymore.

"I don't know how to take it back," he said.

"Edward, I…" Her voice trailed off, it wasn't that she didn't have anything to say, she just couldn't get the words out. Her mouth was too dry, her tongue was too swollen.

Edward must have realized what the problem was so he released her hand that he had still been holding and turned to the pitcher of water. Bella watched silently as he poured a glass and brought it to her.

"You need to drink," he said as he brought the glass to her lips. His free hand weaved under her head and lift her just enough for him to ease the glass to her lips.

The cool water brought relief to her dry mouth and throat. She soon finished the entire glass and looked at Edward, willing him to give her more.

"No," he jerked back away from her, letting her head fall roughly back to the bed.

Her eyes followed him as he set the glass down and rubbed both his hands through his hair. She noticed how the sunlight streaming in from the window shone on it bringing out copper highlights. She had never noticed that before. It fell back around his face in soft waves.

"You'll make yourself sick," he painfully said. "Stop it!"

She had momentarily forgotten that he felt the need to obey her, and immediately tried to think of something else.

"Why did this happen?" she asked. Her voice was weak and raspy. The dryness and thirst was returning and she was trying to ignore it.

"I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "I think you're going to have to figure it out."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"I hope Jasper gets back soon."

Bella couldn't agree more. The water she had drank was sloshing in her stomach and the pain was making her feel nauseated. She curled back into a fetal position and clasped on to her knees, holding tight, willing the pain to go away.

"Damn." Edward sucked in a breath and swore.

Bella looked up at him to see that his features were strained. He must have been able to see the question in her eyes.

"You really don't get it, do you?" he snapped and his eyes reflected the Edward that she had known, angry and resentful.

"No," she whispered. She didn't understand why he was suddenly so mad again.

"Alice, shouldn't have left me with you. I…."

He didn't finish. He glanced at Bella and she knew what he was feeling. Even though she had somehow absorbed his pain, he wasn't free of it, he could still feel it through her.

She also saw the craving in his eyes. She hadn't taken away the blood lust and she knew, with sudden clarity, that he needed her blood.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Alice walking into the room. Bella looked at her and saw that she had a very strange, muddled expression on her face.

"Edward," she said with authority. "I need to speak with you. Alone."

"Go," Bella croaked out. She didn't care if they left. Their presence didn't change her pain and suffering and maybe it would do Edward some good to get away from her.

They both left the room and Bella closed her eyes. A part of her wondered what Alice wanted to talk to Edward about, but mostly, she didn't care.

She let the tears flow freely. She had never imagined pain like this and, if she had known what was happening, she wouldn't have taken it. She was glad that Edward was momentarily not suffering, but he still did. All she had done was changed it so they both suffered now.

She was distracted when she heard Edward's voice from the other side of the door.

"No!"

Bella realized that must just be in the hallway.

"That is not an option!"

She couldn't hear Alice's response. She was still speaking quietly and Bella only picked up a soft murmuring that she assumed was speech.

"I don't care! It's not going to happen!"

Murmuring again.

"No!"

Bella then heard something slam into a wall and she hoped that Edward didn't hurt Alice.

"Edward!" It was Alice's voice calling him.

He didn't answer. She heard the sound of heavy footsteps stomping down the stairs and then a door slam in a distance.

The bedroom door opened, and Alice walked in. Her shoulders were slumped and she looked very tired.

Bella tried to raise her head, but she couldn't, the slight movement made her suck in her breath at the sharp pain. She was forced to wait for Alice to sit come back over to the bed.

It seemed to take her hours to come close enough to the bed to sit down, even though she knew that it was actually only seconds. When she did, Bella immediately found her voice.

"What was that all about?" Her voice was barely a whisper and she hoped Alice had heard.

"I spoke to Esme," she said softly.

"What did she say?" Bella inquired cringing as the pain in her throat worsened when she spoke.

"I need to explain the vision to you first."

Bella widened her eyes. "I thought that you said that you would get it wrong and that we had to wait for Esme."

It's not that she didn't want to know, she was just confused about why, all of the sudden, Alice was going to tell her when she wasn't able to before.

"It's happening, Bella," she whispered softly. "It's happening, and Esme isn't here to help us. We're on our own."

"Can she get here?" Bella suddenly wanted Esme. She didn't know why, but she needed her to be here for her.

"We don't have time."

"What does that mean?" Bella asked.

"Bella, you and Edward are running out of time," she lowered her head, eyes down as she said this. "And he's not being cooperative either."

Bella closed her eyes and thought about Edward. All she knew was that he was scared. More frightened than he had ever been in his life. She didn't know where this came from, the emotion was just there. Was this what Jasper was talking about when he said that she knew him? But she knew his fear, she felt it.

What had Alice said to him? Bella resolved that she needed to know.

"What's going on Alice?" she asked and focused on her, for the first time, pushing the pain aside.


	13. Chapter 13 Bitten

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

_**Bitten**_

"_**We think the time has come," Alice said. "Or it's getting ready to."**_

"_**What is?" Bella cried and then cringed as new wave of pain swept over her. **_

_**She just grit her teeth and moaned as agony racked through her body.**_

"_**Just listen," Alice said, her voice full of concern and pity. "You're going to need to conserve your strength for what's to come."**_

_**What is to come?**_** Bella didn't know the answer to her own question, but nodded in consent, trying to ignore her body.**

**Alice sat back in the chair like she was settling to tell a very long story.**

"**Caius told Esme, years ago, I don't even know when, that Edward would be coming. He told her that one was would come that is both hybrid and Amaranthine, but remains neither. That prediction was pretty easy to figure out."**

"**In order to transition Edward, Carlisle and Jasper had to make a great sacrifice. In addition to the normal transition process, they had to saturate him with their blood."**

**Bella's eyes grew wide as she came to understand what Alice was telling her.**

"**Esme told them that in order to help him, he had to be fed by the blood of the one's who could claim him. Carlisle was afraid, that as a transitioned Amaranthine, and not one who was born, that his blood wouldn't be enough. He called Jasper for help."**

"**Had Edward still been with the hybrids, well, that would have been another story."**

"**They weren't sure if any of them would make it through it. You see, hybrid venom is poisonous to us, and Carlisle and Jasper could have been easily killed if Edward's transition wasn't successful. That's why they don't consider him a hybrid, he's not poisonous to us."**

"**But he still needs blood and Jasper vowed to find out how to help him. Esme never told Jasper, but it wasn't their blood that was needed. It was yours."**

**Bella gasped and the flow of the air entering her throat and lungs was like shards of glass stabbing her all the way down.**

"**Huh?" It was all Bella could get out. The pain was intolerable and she was completed soaked with her own sweat.**

**Alice picked up the dish towel, rewet it and began to wipe off her face.**

"**Esme, was able to put it together after your arrival and she saw how Edward reacted to you. He has never felt blood lust until you, and Esme took that as a sign. Then, after we were sure that you had power to control the hybrids, it made sense."**

"**In order to help Edward, and exchange of…"**

**There was a soft knock on the door, interrupting what Alice was about to say, and they looked at each other with surprised looks on their faces. Neither of them thought that Edward would come up to the room, not now, but someone was there.**

"**Alice," Bella choked out, panting and having trouble catching her breath.**

"**Just stay calm," she said putting the dish towel aside. "I'll take care of it."**

**She got up and went to the door. Slowly opening it. Bella breathed a sigh of relief at the same time Alice let out an excited squeal when they saw that it was Jasper.**

"**How did you…?" Alice stammered as she grabbed him in a tight hug. "What are you doing back? We didn't expect you for hours."**

"**Carlisle called." Jasper held up a tiny cell phone waving it in front of her as proof. "How is she?"**

"**She's hanging on," Alice said opening the door completely and almost dragging Jasper in.**

**He walked over to the bed and looked at her. Bella could see the pity and fear in his eyes.**

"**Do you know what's happening?" he asked her quietly.**

**Bella looked at him and tried to say something, anything to let him know what was going on, but nothing came out.**

**Jasper sat down in the chair that Alice had occupied before she had opened the door.**

"**Alice," he said, never taking his eyes off of Bella. "Go downstairs. I need you to stay with Edward. I'm not sure how well he's handling this."**

"**But…" Alice tried to argue.**

"**He's in the game room off the kitchen. Go."**

**He didn't give Alice a chance to argue. She stood there for a minute, debating, but then turned to leave.**

"**Shut the door, please," Jasper said softly and she did.**

"**Bella, open your eyes and look at me."**

**She didn't even realize that she had closed them. She was beginning to have trouble focusing on anything, and just wanted to close her eyes and sleep. She wasn't sure if the pain would allow it, but she wasn't in any condition, any longer, to follow anything that was going on.**

**It had taken the last effort she had to pay attention to Alice, and after she had told her what was needed to save Edward, she felt a part of her leave. She didn't feel whole anymore, and holding herself together was tiring.**

**Bella opened her eyes and saw Jasper sitting next to her. His cheeks were pink, like they possibly had windburn. She thought that the additional color gave his face a cherub-like look.**

"**Bella," Jasper spoke softly. "You have a choice. Do you want to help him?"**

**Her mind spun. Did she really have a choice. She either had to help him or live with the knowledge that she could have and didn't, and if she choose to make the transition, that memory would last a long time.**

**These people, these immortals, were her family now. They had risked their lives to keep her safe. She would be spending the rest of her life, no matter how long, with them.**

**No. She didn't have a choice. She was going to help him.**

"**Yes." Her voice was weak and it was more of a croak than a response, but Jasper understood her and shook his head.**

"**You are very strong, fledgling. I'm not sure if I could have made the choice so easily."**

**She wondered why he thought the choice had been easy for her, or that she even had a choice. She didn't answer him. She couldn't.**

"**There's more that you need to know," he continued. "Carlisle and Esme are on their way. I am not sure exactly when they will get here, the closest portal is several hours away, but we will wait as long as you can stand it."**

**Bella forced herself to nod. Her heart swelled with the knowledge that Carlisle and Esme would soon be here. Even though she hadn't known them very long, she was comforted by the fact that they were coming. Especially Esme. She remembered how Esme had a way of calming her.**

**But then she focused on the rest of what Jasper had said. He said they would wait as long as she could stand it. She wondered if that meant that it was going to get worse, and she knew that she was fading fast. She had gone from feeling fine, to agonizing pain, to detachment so quickly that she had no idea what was really happening to her.**

"**We need to talk about a few things. Carlisle told me to see you about it."**

**Bella refocused her eyes at him, gave him a questioning look, and tried to stay coherent long enough to hear what he had to say.**

"**You'll need to make another decision, about the transition."**

**She closed her eyes. Her mental capacity was gone and she felt a heavy darkness descending over her with every breath. The pain was still there beating her down but her mind was completely separating from her. In the background she heard her name being called.**

"**Damn it, Bella open your eyes!"**

**She heard Jasper's voice and the sound drew her back. She knew he had grabbed her hand, but she couldn't force herself to respond. He shook her a few times and she tried to open her eyes. She felt her lashes flutter but she couldn't get her eyes to open.**

**Jasper stood up and ran to the door.**

"**Alice!" he yelled into the hallway.**

**Bella could hear his panic. She was aware of everything that was going on, but couldn't make her body do anything. She wanted to tell Jasper that she was okay, that she was just really tired, but couldn't seem to find the will to make her body cooperate. The only part of her body that she did feel, was the pain. It was like she was completely outside herself and only aware of what was going on, not in control.**

**Alice came running up the stairs. Surprisingly, Edward trailed her. **

"**Alice," Jasper gasped. "How long has she been like this? When did it happen?**

"**A few hours," Edward answered him, sounding out of breath. "Why, what's happened?"**

**The three of them entered the room. Bella heard one of them gasp and wondered, briefly, if she looked that bad. She knew that she was drenched in sweat and that her body was shivering, but that shouldn't have shocked either of them, she had been like that for awhile.**

"**I'm not sure," Jasper said worriedly. "I can't get her to respond."**

**Bella felt a hand grab hers and she knew it was Alice because of the small size. She heard her sniffle and thought it sounded like she was crying. She wanted to caress her hand back and tell her not to cry. She wanted to tell her that everything was okay.**

"**Alice," Edward said softly. "She wants you to stop crying all ready."**

**The room was silent again. Alice's crying stopped and it actually sounded like she had stopped breathing.**

"**What?" Edward asked defensively. "I can still pick her up."**

"**Bella, Bella honey," Alice was speaking to her softly. "Open your eyes, please."**

**Her voice was still thick with tears and Bella wasn't sure if she had started to cry again. She hoped not. She tried to find her eyes, she tried to open them, but couldn't. When she got too close, the pain was too much. She found herself wishing that Edward would just bite her and get this over with. She knew that it would end that way and she was ready for relief.**

**Edward groaned. It was a pained, despondent sound that pierced her soul. A sound Bella swore that she never wanted to hear again. **

"**Edward," Alice asked in trepidation. "What is it?"**

"**I can't." **

"**She wants you to do it, doesn't she?" It was Jasper who spoke. His voice was falsely calm and Bella could hear an edge to it.**

"**I can't," Edward repeated. His voice was strained.**

"**It's the only way now."**

"**No." Edward gritted his teeth and looked like he was ready to bolt.**

"**Come on, Alice," Jasper said. "We'll leave them alone. This is something that they have to work out"**

"**No!" Edward spit out sharply.**

"**Edward, it's no longer your choice," Jasper said quietly to him as if no one else was in the room. "Don't you get it? We're losing her. You're the only one who can reach her now. You have to bring her back."**

**They were quiet. She heard Alice get up and walk toward the door. The door opened and Bella knew that she had left with Jasper. She was alone with Edward.**

**She could feel him standing across the room. She could feel his eyes on her. She willed him to come to her. She needed to feel him. She wanted him to make the agony stop.**

"**Damn you, Bella."**

**She smiled to herself even if her body didn't display it, knowing that ultimately, she still had the power over him. He needed this as much as she did and she let her instincts take over. The only thing she was focused on was ending this pain and suffering. Part of her knew that this is something that she would have never considered before, but the urges Edward felt and her own instinct was overriding common sense. She would deal with the rest later.**

"**Bella."**

**She could tell that he was right at the bed but behind her. She wanted to turn over and look at him but she couldn't. She wanted him but, she was feeling the fear of the unknown.**

**She could also feel his internal struggle. He wanted her too, but he wasn't ready to give in to it. If she could have cried, she would have. She hated this need. She hated the pain and wanted it gone. He was the answer to making it go away and all she wanted is for him to take her blood.**

**He bed moved softly as he sat down on the edge next to her. He laid down and wrapped his arms around her body. She could feel his heat, even through the pain. He laid there and buried his head in her hair.**

"**Bella, I can't," he said with a sob, and she felt his breath hot on her neck. "I won't."**

**His words hurt her. She was causing him pain, but the only solution for both of them was for him to give in to his needs. She didn't know what would happen, at this point, she didn't care. She just wanted to be done with the agony.**

**With all of the effort she possessed, Bella begged him to take her blood and ease them both. She tried to concentrate on reaching out to him and forcing him to do it.**

**It must have worked. **

**She heard him growl and she held her breath. He moved his body so that he was laying against her, spooning with her, his arms wrapped around her in an intimate embrace.**

**She felt his lips against her neck and his heart beating against her back. She was surprised that she noticed this, through all of the pain, but her body seemed to know relief was there in him and was yearning for it. **

**Her heart jumped and began to beat in a pace that matched his, in perfect harmony, and she knew that this was right. They were fulfilling a destiny. This was exactly what was supposed to be.**

"**Forgive me, Bella," he whispered right before she felt the sharp points of his fangs enter her flesh at the crook of her neck.**

**She slammed back into her body and felt every inch of her flesh, every burst of pain. Her eyes popped open and she managed a strong gasp of surprise.**

**She felt the first pull Edward make against her neck and he groaned in pleasure when her blood flooded into his mouth. **

**She closed her eyes and felt the burn leave her with every drink that he took. A new warmth filled her body. A sensation of pleasure and ecstasy filled her core. She was aware of Edward's lips on her neck and the heat of his body seemed to wrap around her in a protective cocoon.**

**He reached around and wrapped his fingers through hers and pulled her even closer. Their bodies seemed to melt into each other as he continued to drink. Every few seconds, a contented groan would escape from his lips and send ripples of pleasure through her. She was surprised at how right this felt, being in his arms, his head buried in her neck, sharing her life with him with every swallow he took.**

**If she had known the pleasure that this would bring, she would have begged him to do it the moment she found out he was part vampire. The pain and suffering was completely gone and she felt like she was floating in bliss. **

**Edward's draws slowed and she knew that it was almost over. She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was sleep now that the pain was gone.**

**She sighed and felt Edward break his hold on her neck. He licked at the would and she thought that was strange but didn't ask. He started to get up.**

"**No," Bella said holding his hand tighter. "Stay with me."**

**Her voice was stronger than she expected and a hint of command was in it.**

"**Aren't you repulsed by me?" His voice was full self disgust.**

**Gathering all of her strength, she let go of his hand and turned herself onto her other side to face him. She looked into his eyes and saw that they had returned to their normal beautiful color and glowed from the new blood that raced through him. **

**He looked away from her quickly, shame flooding through his face.**

**Bella took her hand and cradled his cheek. She lifted it until he was looking at her again.**

"**Don't," she said softly. "You did what you had to."**

**He tried to smile, but only managed to get the corner of his lips to twitch. He sighed, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her up against him.**

"**Sleep, Bella," He said and kissed her on the top of her head.**

**She relaxed against him exhausted, her body did as commanded and she had a glimpse of the last time he had said those words to her.**

**Bella had very strange dreams. Everything was red hued and she was stumbling along a path looking for something. She was alone and she could hear the pained cries of whatever it was that she sought.**

**In her dream her throat burned and blistered with every breathe she took. She could smell a sweet, delicious smell and craved it. She knew somehow if, she found what she was looking for, everything would be okay.**

**Then she saw Esme and she was pointing at something huddled in a corner. There was something covered in a white sheet. It was shaking and trembling, but Bella wasn't sure what it was. She took a deep breath and realized that it was the source of the smell.**

**Esme called her name and told her to take it, that it was hers, but Bella couldn't move. She was suddenly scared of the thing huddled in the corner. Esme called her name again and pushed her forward.**

"**Bella." Her eyes fluttered as she heard Esme call her name again. She was so close and her voice penetrated through her fear.**

"**Bella." This time it was louder and Bella realized someone really had called her name.**

"**Carlisle, she won't wake up."**

**Bella knew that the dream was jumping around and not making sense, but she didn't remember seeing Carlisle and it confused her. **

"**She's coming around," he said. "She getting clearer. Try again."**

**Bella felt a cool hand touch her face.**

"**Bella."**

**Her eyes slowly opened and she saw that the room was dim. Esme was sitting on the bed next to her looking at her with concerned eyes.**

"**Esme," Bella whispered, groggy and still half asleep. "You're really here."**

**Esme smiled and gave a slight laugh. "Yes, I am here, Bella and so is Carlisle."**

**Bella turned her head and noticed that Edward wasn't there.**

"**Where's Edward?"**

**Esme averted her eyes and looked at Carlisle, who came over and sat on the chair next to the bed.**

"**Bella, How are you feeling?" he asked.**

"**I'm fine," she said and rubbed her eyes to clear the sleep. "Where's Edward?"**

**Carlisle looked at her and his eyes told her that something was wrong. Bella shot up into a sitting position and was surprised when the room spun several times. She put her hand to her head and forced herself to steady.**

"**Not so quick," Carlisle said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You've lost a lot of blood."**

**She glared at him, annoyed that he still hadn't answered her question. She then looked at Esme, thinking that she would get a better response from her.**

**Esme gasped and grabbed Carlisle's hand.**

"**Shhh," he calmly said, patting her hand in reassurance. "You knew that this would happen."**

"**What?" Bella didn't know what Esme had seen that had upset her.**

"**It's nothing that we can't deal with, Bella"**

**She stared at both of them trying to figure out what was going on. She didn't get a chance to ask again. Carlisle had gotten up and was placing a pile of clothes by her.**

"**Why don't you go get cleaned up. Then come downstairs, you need to eat. We'll talk then."**

**He pulled Esme up and headed to the door. Before they left, Esme turned and gave her a very sad look.**

"**It's what he said would happen." Then they were both gone.**

**Bella shook her head and thought a minute about Esme's comment. Something about her had changed, that much she figured.**

**Shrugging her shoulders, she slid out of bed and grabbed the clothes Carlisle had given her. She was surprised at how weak she felt on her feet and took careful steps toward the bathroom. **

**Stripping off her dirty clothes, she stepped into the shower and the warm water felt amazing against her skin. Her neck was sore, where Edward had bitten her, and she let the water trickle over the wound.**

**After she was done, she quickly put on the clean clothes, making a mental note to thank Carlisle. The clothes were more her style, loose fitting jeans and a black tank top. She wondered if he knew her neck would be sore and purposely brought the tank to accommodate that.**

**She was about to leave to go back to her room and brush her hair when her image in the mirror caught her attention. She looked at herself and gasped.**

**Her face was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes that made it look like she hadn't slept in days. It was her eyes that had commanded her attention. The once deep chocolate brown was now ringed by a very defined red band that stood out against the white. **

**Bella wondered if she was in shock because, as much as she should have been upset, she wasn't. She just felt a greater resolve to get downstairs and find out what was going on. **

**She walked quickly to her room, retrieved her brush and ran it quickly through her hair. She left it down again, thinking that it would be best to hide the bite mark on her neck. Not that everyone didn't realize what had happened between her an Edward, but she thought that it would make it easier if it wasn't staring everyone in the face.**

**Throwing the brush down, she all but ran out of her room and down the stairs. She noticed that her body felt strange, almost looser and more agile, but she quickly pushed the thought aside as a side effect of losing so much blood.**

**She slowed as she reached the bottom of the stairs and walked into the dining room. Glancing up, she saw that everyone except Edward was already seated and eating something that resembled chicken. Her stomach rumbled, announcing to all that she was starving.**

**Alice looked up from her seat next to Jasper and smiled. It was nice to see. She jumped up and grabbed her arm and led her to an empty chair next to Esme.**

"**I'll have Robert get you some food," she said and voice sounded happy and bubbly.**

"**Robert's here?" Bella asked surprised to hear his name.**

"**Yes," she answered. "Carlisle put him on a plane right before they left. He got here about an hour ago."**

**Bella noticed that in all her cheerfulness, she had avoided looking her in the eyes, and Bella had the strange feeling that Carlisle and Esme had already given her the scoop.**

**Alice skipped away into the kitchen and Bella looked up at the remaining people at the table. Jasper was staring at her. He, obviously, obviously hadn't gotten the talk about her eyes, and was looking at her with strange interest. Carlisle and Esme both smiled at her kindly, but didn't say anything.**

**Bella looked at them for a minute before speaking.**

"**So," she began. "Are you going to tell me where Edward is or am I going to have to summon him to me?"**


	14. Chapter 14 Choices

Chapter Fourteen

Choices

Everyone in the room was silent. Esme and Carlisle just looked at each other, trying to decide what to say. Jasper still stared at Bella, and she knew that he was as in the dark as she, was about the whereabouts of Edward.

The silence was broken when Alice skipped back into the room. She must have felt the tension, because she looked at everyone's faces with a curious gaze.

"Robert's making you something now." She sat down right away and gave a funny look to Carlisle. "What did I miss?"

"I was wondering where Edward was," Bella said. She bit her lip at the hard edge that she heard in her voice. She didn't mean to be cruel to Alice.

"Where is he?" Jasper finally spoke up. "I thought he was with her." He was speaking to Carlisle and Esme, and Bella could see his annoyance at not being included in what ever had happened.

Esme took a deep breath and looked at Bella, her gaze far away and she had the glimmer of tears in her eyes. Bella immediately sat down worried.

"He went back to the house," she said flatly and Bella saw her grab Carlisle's hand.

"He did what?" Jasper stood up, hitting the table, and spilling a glass of water everywhere. "Didn't you tell him?"

"I tried," Esme wasn't stopping the tears. "I tried to tell him that he had to stay to see this through, but he wouldn't listen."

Robert stepped into the dining room then. He had a plate of steaming chicken and vegetables. He placed it in front of Bella and quickly exited, he eyes darting nervously as if he was afraid to be too close to her.

"Esme, we have to get him back." Jasper had sat back down, but the tension in him was still obvious.

"Edward, doesn't believe any of it, and her blood is making him…," Esme said turning her head slightly towards Bella to indicate that she was talking about her. "He can't do this alone."

"Well, we'll just take her to him then," Jasper said resolutely.

"It won't work," Carlisle finally spoke. "He'll feel her and bolt again."

Bella had heard enough to know that she was sick of being talked about like she wasn't sitting there. Her head was spinning and, suddenly, all the emotions that had been dormant since the kidnapping rushed forward. Pushing her untouched plate out of the way she stood up and glared at all of them.

"I am right here," she said with annoyance. "Would somebody, please, tell me what the hell is going on?"

Esme got up and came over by her. Putting her around her, she eased her back into the chair.

"Eat Bella," she said softly. "And I will explain it to you."

"No!" she said jerking herself away from Esme. "Fuck that! I've been kidnapped, my family doesn't know who the hell I am anymore, I watched a kid that I went to school with try to suck the blood out of my sister and then be decapitated in front of me, and I played blood host to some sort of parasite, and you want me to sit and eat while you to talk circles around me? No!"

Bella looked toward the food and she wasn't hungry anymore. Instead, she was shaking and her eyes burned with tears that didn't fall.

"Bella," Esme tried again. "I understand. This has been a lot for you."

Carlisle and Jasper moved in their chairs to face them, but Alice just remained as she was. Bella glared at all of them.

"A lot for me?" Bella said with a mocking tone. "That's an understatement."

"You're not thinking clearly," Carlisle jumped in. "You need to relax and eat."

"The hell I need to relax," she said through clench teeth.

Esme placed her arms around her again and Bella felt her muscles relax. She placed her elbows on the table and her head in her hands. For the first time, Bella wanted her mother. She wanted to go back and curl into her mom's arms like a small child and forget all of this. She wanted to forget that Edward had taken her, everything that she had been told, and she wanted to forget the feelings of her blood being pulled out of her.

She didn't want to relax though. She needed to scream, yell, and throw a fit worthy of a small, spoiled child. For the second time, she squired out from Esme's caring hold.

"No," she said. Bella had wanted to sound angry and tough but instead, she sounded tired.

"Bella," Alice finally spoke up. "Let Esme calm you. Really it will help."

"What?" Bella had no idea what Alice was talking about.

"Esme has a talent that allows her to soothe and calm those around her," Carlisle supplied flatly. It sounded like he didn't want to tell her this but the question loomed heavily in her mind.

With a deep breathe of resolve, Bella pushed all of her grief, sorrow and anger to a location deep inside her heart. A twinge of foreboding entered her heart when she did this, telling her that she would come to regret hiding all of these emotions, but Esme's presence wouldn't let her dwell on it. She now understood why she had felt safe and secure around her. It was Esme's gift.

"Esme, tell her about Caius," Alice said softly and Esme turned her head to look at her.

"Alice, you don't have to stay," Esme said to her understandingly.

"No, I'm fine," she said. Her voice was unusually quiet. "Go on, explain it."

Esme nodded and turned her attention back to Bella. Patting her on the shoulder, she sat down in the chair next to her.

"My brother's name was Caius. He was quite a bit older than me and had lived through the time when Amaranthines and mortals still worked together. By the time I was born, that had ended and hybrids were a constant worry. Several years after I was born, our parents were killed by the hybrids and Caius had to take me in."

"Caius had already been known for his visions and was sought by many Amaranthines for guidance. This was difficult for him because the visions caused him great pain. After some time, he stopped seeing anyone, and him and I retreated into a solitary existence."

"His visions didn't stop though and I saw how difficult each one was for him. It was even more difficult for him to keep them to himself, so after awhile he began to confide in me."

"But that's not what you need to know about right now. You need to know about your part in all of this."

Bella nodded and reached for a piece of chicken. Esme was right, she didn't have the patience for a history lesson right now.

"You noticed your eyes, I take it?"

Again, Bella nodded and forced herself to swallow the bite of chicken that was in her mouth. She had forgotten about her eyes for awhile and a new wave of panic set in.

"You see Edward's not a danger to us, but he is to you. You haven't made the transition yet, and your body is still reacting as a mortal who has fed a hybrid."

Bella eyes widened. She didn't need Esme to say it to understand what was happening. She was going to turn into a vampire.

"No," Carlisle said quickly, reading her thoughts. "Let her finish."

Bell had forgotten that her thoughts weren't safe around him, and she cleared her mind and nodded for Esme to continue.

"You are at a crossroads right now, Bella. According to Caius, you have to choose to make the transition now or…" her voice trailed off.

Jasper jumped in. "Or we will be forever lost to the hybrids."

She could feel her stomach turn. Bella couldn't believe what she was hearing. She either had to make the transition, or all of them would eventually be killed off. She wasn't sure that she liked her options.

Forcing herself to breathe calmly, she took a quick drink of water and squared her shoulders in determination.

"Then I make the transition."

"Um," Esme started. "It's not that easy."

"Why?" Bella asked impatiently. "Carlisle said that once I made the choice, he would help me through it."

"I can't," Carlisle answered. "Edwards has to do it."

"What?" Bella was shocked. "Why Edward?"

She had had enough of Edward. She had let him drink her blood, which had put her in danger of becoming a parasite, and he had just taken off, reveling in his triumph. Bella didn't want him around for her transition.

"That is part of the vision," Esme told her softly and grabbed her hand. "Caius said that there had to be an exchange. In order for you to complete your transition, you would have to imbibe the half life of the one who is both. Meaning Edward."

"Imbibe?" Bella asked raising her eyebrow.

"That was the way that Caius said it," Esme said shrugging her shoulders. "I thought it was a strange choice of word, but that was the way that it came to him."

"What's supposed to happen to Edward then?" Bella was suddenly concerned. The way Esme told her, he may not come out of this whole.

"I don't know," she said sadly. "Caius had visions of Edward, but they were all before you. He always said that there were things that nobody, not even him, was meant to know. We'll just have to trust that you'll both come through this."

"What happens if I don't transition?" Bella spoke softly. She had to know the options.

"You'll complete the hybrid transition," Jasper was the one that spoke. "And you will have an entirely different fate, destroying us."

Well, so much for her options, she thought to herself. She quickly dismissed that. There was a bigger problem. Edward was gone. He had left her and, without him, she was going to turn into a vampire.

"Edward left," Bella said softly, more to herself than to everyone else.

"How could he leave?" Jasper asked looking at Esme. "Doesn't he understand what is on the line right now. His choice affects all of us."

Esme just shrugged and looked tired. "I told him, but he doesn't believe in Caius's visions anymore."

"Why?" Jasper sounded impatient and annoyed.

"Because her blood didn't cure him. He still felt it in him. But, I don't know, something is telling me that her transition will be his salvation. It's just a feeling that I have."

"He didn't want to hear it, did he?" Alice spoke and everyone looked to her. "He told me, that giving in to her, drinking her like that, it took away the last bit of hope that he had for himself."

"Oh Edward," Esme sobbed. She turned in to Carlisle and rested her head against his chest. Carlisle wrapped his arms around her and comforted her.

"So," Jasper said trying to sound practical. "How do we get her to him?"

"Can't we just go?," Bella supplied sounding annoyed. "I can make him stay."

"That would work to get us all in the same place, but it won't help with the transition," Carlisle said thoughtfully. "That he has to do willingly."

"We'll just explain everything to him." It bothered her that everyone was so concerned about what Edward was going through when a big part of her was glad he was suffering. She thought he deserved it.

Bella noticed Carlisle smirk at her and immediately blushed at her thoughts.

"Bella, don't you think that I tried?" Esme said.

"Bella might be able to get through to him." Alice's voice was quiet and reflective. "He's bonded to her like no one else. Even me."

Bella looked at her and wondered what she meant. She had noticed that Edward and Alice were close, but up until now, she never really questioned their relationship. The way she spoke made her think that Alice's feelings for Edward were much more than she thought.

Carlisle looked at Bella intensely, picking at her thoughts and then staring thoughtfully at Alice. Bella ignored him.

"How long do we have?" she asked trying to sound casual. "Before I, you know, vamp out?"

Jasper snorted and a huge smile came over Carlisle's face.

"Vamp out?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," Bella responded smiling facetiously back at him.

Shaking his head, he said sounding serious, "Judging from your eyes, Edward didn't hold out on you. Which is a little unusual. Hybrids normally have much more control. But I'd say that we have about four days."

Bella blushed at the reference to Edward not holding out on her. She fleetingly thought about the feelings that she had felt when he was drinking her and how it felt to have his body tight against her.

"Then we better go then shouldn't we?" she said. "It doesn't look like I have a choice in much anymore."


	15. Chapter 15 Alternatives

Chapter Fifteen

Alternatives

Bella sat tiredly on her bed. She knew that she should be preparing to leave but she couldn't find the energy. She stared out the window at the fluffy white clouds drifting through the bright afternoon sky. When she was a child, she used to love days like this. She would spend hours staring at the shapes that the billowy clouds made and imagine the shapes that they resembled.

She couldn't do that anymore. Her life had been turned upside down and, at times, she felt like she was spinning in an uncontrolled spiral and she wasn't sure if or when it would stop.

She thought about how she had gotten here and she realized that Edward was the bane of her existence. Everything that was going on started with him and, unfortunately, had to end with him and she was going to be leaving soon to go to him.

Bella bit her lip and sighed. She really didn't want to see him. Although her body craved to be near him and reacted in an embarrassing way to him, she was beginning to hate him.

Forcing herself up, she walked over and picked up her bags. She didn't have a lot of clothes with her, just the articles that Alice had shoved into the duffel before leaving. She looked around the room one last time to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything and left the room.

Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Jasper were all waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Everyone had the same look of resolution on their beautiful faces except for Alice. She was looking down and playing with the bottom of her shirt. She appeared nervous and twitchy, and Bella had to fight the urge to ask her what was wrong. She knew whatever it was, she wasn't going to tell her now, in front of everyone.

"Bella, you and Jasper are going to drive," Carlisle said. "The rest of us are going to take the portal. We're hoping that Edward will allow us to talk to him before you get there."

Bella just nodded. She knew that there was nothing she could say. All of the decisions had been taking away from her over the last few days. She thought about her life before and regretted not being more of a part of it. She had choices then, and had thrown them all away. Now she missed them and regretted her actions before.

Esme walked over to her and gave her a quick hug.

"It'll be okay," she whispered. "You'll see."

"Yeah," Bella replied. There was no point in sharing her misgivings about all of this. She was going to change into something and the next thirty six hours or so would decide what she would spend the rest of her life as. _Yep, _she thought to herself. _No reason to panic._

"_We'll be waiting for you guys," Carlisle said more to Jasper than to Bella. "Be safe."_

_Alice never looked up and Bella wanted to run to her and find out what was wrong. Alice had put her life on the line for her and now she wouldn't even look at her. Something was definitely going on._

_The three of them left._

_Jasper took Bella's bags away from her and took them outside. She didn't see where he took them and she didn't move. Only a moment later he returned. _

"_Why don't you sit down," Jasper said and gestured to the couch in the other room. "We're not supposed to leave for another couple of hours."_

"_Why?" Bella asked walking toward the couch and plopping down. "They'll get there momentarily and it will take us a lot longer driving."_

"_They want to make sure we're still here when they arrive," Jasper explained. "We're not sure how tuned Edward is to you now. It will be better if he doesn't immediately suspect that we're following."_

_Bella thought about this for a minute and frowned._

"_Jasper," she began slowly. "What would happen if you just transitioned me and we said to hell with Edward?"_

_Jasper looked at her with a curious gaze and then slowly sat next to her, so close that she could feel the heat from his body. The proximity made her uncomfortable and she wondered why he had chosen to sit so close._

"_Bella," he said as he gazed into her eyes. "I don't know if I even could. You're not like other fledglings."_

"_But could we try?" She was hoping that if they could, she could avoid the entire Edward issue._

"_I don't think that's a good idea."_

_Jasper continued to stare at her and Bella wondered what was going on in his head. She was afraid to ask though, so she instead broke his gaze and stared at the floor._

_She felt Jasper sigh and relax back into the couch. She was a more than a little shocked when Jaspers hand clasped hers and held it. She risked looking back at him and involuntarily smiled when she saw tat his head was leaned back against the couch with his eyes closed. He looked very young to her in that moment._

_Jasper must have sensed her gaze because he slowly turned his head and opened his eyes. He brought his free hand up and cupped her face gently. Bella didn't move._

"_Bella," he whispered. "Don't you think that if I thought that I could get you through your transition without Edward, that I would?"_

"_I…uh…I….don't know," Bella stammered. She was surprised by the intensity of his eyes and a little scared at the meaning behind his words. _

"_If I knew that I wasn't risking you, I would do it," he continued. His head dipped slightly closer to her. "I would take you through the transition this minute."_

_Then he kissed her. His kiss was soft and sweet. Without thinking, she kissed him back. Her lips parted and Jasper's kiss became deeper. He released her hand and pulled her closer to him and Bella could feel the heat of his body against her. _

_Instinctly, she ran her hand through his hair and rested her finger tips on the back of his neck. She heard him moan and began to feel her pulse quicken. She had only kissed a few boys in her life and all of them had been before her father's death, but Jasper was not a inexperience teenager. He was a man who had seen more than a few years and knew how to kiss. He knew how to hold her._

_He ran his hand down her back and stopped at her waist. His hands twisted the bottom of her tank top. His lips left her mouth and Jasper trailed kissed along her jaw and onto her neck. She could feel his mouth on her neck and, suddenly, an image of the previous night flickered through her mind. The image of another man at her neck._

_She stiffened._

"_Jasper," she said breathlessly. "Stop, please."_

_He slowly released her but didn't lift his head. Instead he buried his face into her neck._

"_I'm sorry," he whispered and the feel of his breath on her skin caused her to shiver. "I shouldn't have done that."_

_Bella didn't say anything. Instead, she moved away so that his head was no longer on her shoulder. She looked up at him and saw regret in his eyes. _

"_No, I'm sorry," she said feeling guilty about the look on his face. "I just…."_

"_You don't need to explain. I can feel the bond you share with him."_

"_No," Bella said quickly. "That's not it. It's just…"_

_But the words trailed off. She really didn't know what it was. Jasper was right, she was strangely bonded to Edward, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to be. The man had destroyed her life._

_There was nothing said between the two of them. Each was lost in in their own thoughts. Bella was confused. She had felt her body react to Jasper's kiss, but before now, she had never even considered him as a potential boyfriend. As she thought about it, she realized that she could easily allow herself to like him and that scared her._

_On the other hand, there was Edward. She didn't particularly like him, but her body said otherwise. No man had ever made her feel like she did when she was with him, and her reaction to him scared her._

_With a deep sigh, she chastised herself for letting herself think about this. She was in no position to get involved with anyone. _

_Jasper broke the silence and Bella's mental babble._

"_Well," he started. "At least you know that you have options."_

_The tone in his voice broke Bella's heart. He was trying to be light hearted, but it came out strained and curt. She was disturbed. She had not seen Jasper like this before. He was always so confident and aloof. Now, he was almost vulnerable._

"_I'm going to get something to drink. Want something?" She had to get up and move. Sitting here, close to him, was not helping her clear her mind and she was determined to put this behind them. They had a long trip ahead of them and she needed a few minutes to gather her thoughts._

"_No, thanks," he said. Bella got up and went to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water. She stood in the kitchen longer than necessary and finished half of the bottle. When she went back to the living room Jasper was gone._

"_Jasper?" Bella called but didn't get an answer._

_Shrugging her shoulders, she sat down on the couch, leaned her head back and closed her eyes._

_She didn't fall asleep, but she did let her mind wander. Bella wasn't sure how long she sat like that when she heard the front door open and close again._

"_Bella?" Jasper called to her._

_She turned her head without lifting it._

"_It's time to go," he said. "Carlisle just called. Everyone made it back."_

"_Does Edward know we are on the way?" _

_Jasper shrugged and looked away from her. "Carlisle didn't say. We'll know soon enough."_

_Bella slowly lifted herself off of the chair and ran her hands through her long hair._

"_Alright then," she said moving toward Jasper. "Let's get this over with."_

_Bella was surprised to see that they were taking a sleek black Lincoln town car. The ride was smooth and the miles flew by in silence. Jasper seemed distracted and Bella didn't want to start a conversation in fear of where it would lead._

_After a few hours in the vehicle, Bella dared to speak._

"_Jasper," she said quietly. "Where exactly is Carlisle's house?"_

_Jasper looked at her in surprise and Bella thought that he must have assumed that she knew where they were going._

"_Kansas," he replied._

"_Oh."_

_That at least explained the lack of trees around the house. Bella stared out the window. There wasn't much to see. The sun had fallen and the night sky didn't illuminate much. Jasper took a similar route as Edward had, avoiding any towns or real civilization. The landscape was barren and Bella assumed that there must have been a lot of farms in this area._

"_Bella, you should sleep."_

"_What?" Bella hadn't been paying attention._

"_I said, that you should sleep."_

"_Oh."_

_As much as Bella wanted to argue and tell him that she wasn't tired, she didn't. Her gut was telling her that things were going to get really stressful soon. Curling up in the seat, with her face toward the window, she forced herself to get some sleep._

_Bella awoke as Jasper was pulling into the long driveway that led to the house. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she saw the rolling hills and the small pond that she had discovered her gift at. The sun was coming up and she was surprised that she had slept the entire way. _

_After a moment of confusion, Bella realized that she was parched. Her throat was dry and gritty and she craved something to wet it. Sitting up she reached for a bottle of water and took a long drink. A few gulps in, her throat seemed to close up and she began coughing and sputtering the little bit that she had gotten down back up._

"_Are you okay?" Bella saw the concern in his eyes as Jasper asked._

"_I'm fine," she finally gasped, ending the coughing fit. Her throat was still dry and it made her voice hoarse. "Must have went down wrong."_

_Jasper frowned at her explanation as they rounded the last curve before reaching the house. Bella thought that it was strange that she had not picked up anything from Edward, and was worried that maybe he had bolted again._

_As the car engine quieted, Bella opened the door and got out, gratefully stretching her body. Jasper came up behind her and they walked together towards the house. As Jasper reached for the door, it opened and Carlisle was in the doorway with a big smile._

"_Any problems?" he asked._

"_Not one," Jasper responded back. "What about here?"_

_Carlisle's eyes flickered for a moment and then steadied. "Everything's under control."_

_Jasper and Bella walked into the house and Carlisle closed the door behind them. Bella was surprised that everything was exactly the same. Even though she had only been gone for a couple of days, she had expected to see some change in the place, but everything was as it was when she left._

"_How's Edward?" she dared to ask._

"_He's fine," Carlisle responded flatly. "He's up with Alice right now. I'll call up and tell them that you're here."_

"_No," Bella said quickly. "That's okay. You don't need to bother them."_

_Carlisle raised his eyebrows but didn't comment. Bella didn't wait for any more. She headed to the staircase and took them up to her former room. She knew that eventually, she would have to face him and make a decision about her future path, but she wasn't ready for that yet. _

_Reaching her room, she stepped in and shut the door. Walking over to the bed, she flopped down onto the bed face down. She let herself cry. She cried for what she was becoming, for what she was. She cried for her mom, dad and sister. She even cried for Mike Newton. She clenched her hands into fists and raised them over her head to shelter her already hidden face. She felt her nails bite into her palms, but didn't care._

_She laid there sobbing until her body was spent and her chest was sore. Her breath came in short pants and ever draw of air burned her lungs. Lifting her head up to allow for more air to come in, she caught sight of the tear stained pillow top. It was red. Blood red._

_She wiped her arm across her face and looked at her arm. The moisture was tinged pink and she cold smell the metallic odor that identified what was happening. Sucking in a deep breath, she let out a pierced scream. _


End file.
